Gisborne

Gisborne is a small sunny beachside city on the East Coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It's a popular holiday spot, especially in summer, as it has a warm, dry and sunny climate, swimming and surf beaches, wineries, and a more relaxed pace of life than larger cities. Due to its proximity to the international date line, it's the first city in the world to see the sun rise, which makes it a good place to spend New Year's Eve if you're looking for a party.

By car
Gisborne is three hours drive from Napier, the nearest city. It is a half day's drive from Rotorua, and a good day's drive from Auckland or Wellington, perhaps longer depending on the route you take.

By plane
There are frequent flights from Auckland and Wellington (both 1 hour) on Air New Zealand. It can be quite expensive compared to flying between Auckland/Wellington/Christchurch, but you can find good deals on Air New Zealand's Grabaseat site if you're lucky. Sunair has some flights from smaller cities. The airport is right on the western edge of the city.

By bus

 * InterCity Coachlines offer low cost bus services between Gisborne and many other North Island towns.

Get around
GizzyBus is the local bus service and operates M–F 7:10am–5:40pm, not on public holidays or weekends.

There is a taxi service and several rental car firms. A car is handy, especially if going out of town, say to Wainui Beach (7 km north of the central business district), Rere Falls, or the outlying wineries.

The CBD is small enough to be walked easily. It's an easy 10-15 min walk from the CBD to Waikanae Beach.

Do
Gisborne is a great summertime destination. Waikanae Beach is a nice beach right near the middle of town and continues into Midway Beach. If you have a car, it's worth venturing a little further out to Wainui, Makarori or any of the bays that you find if you drive north up the coast. Surfing, swimming and fishing are all big parts of local culture, so give these a go.



Eat
Dining in Gisborne is fairly casual. Daytime cafes and evening takeaways, including fish and chips, dominate, and a local speciality is the "all sauces," or a scoop of chips with tomato sauce, mayo, and garlic butter.

Many restaurants mark their hours as "til late," meaning when their last customer of the night has finished. Eating out after about 21:00 can limit your options.



Go next

 * Go south to Morere (hot pools), Wairoa and Napier.
 * Go north-west on State Highway 2 to the inland settlement of Matawai, on the Waioeka Gorge route to Opotiki.
 * Head north-east to East Cape and round to Opotiki on coastal State Highway 35. This trip will take a full day and features spectacular coastal views and contains some of the most remote settlements in New Zealand.