Gisborne & Eastland Region, New Zealand

The Gisborne/Eastland region incorporates: Gisborne, Poverty Bay, Tolaga Bay, Hicks Bay, Te Kaha, Wairoa, Opotiki, Ruatoria, Te Urewera National Park, Kaingaroa Forest and Mt Hikurangi.

The Gisborne/Eastland region with beautiful sandy beaches, great surf, a warm sunny climate is a land in which anything and everything grows. Built in a casual sprawl from where the historic waters of Poverty Bay meet the wide, horseshoe sweep of Waikanae Beach, Gisborne is the first city in the world to greet the sun each morning.

Gisborne - the Chardonnay City. Gisborne is Eastland’s biggest populated centre and is known as the "Chardonnay Capital of New Zealand", producing premium New Zealand white wines.

Eastland is the place where the first Polynesian migration canoes landed, where Captain Cook made his first landfall and where Maori and European first encountered each other. Maori life is evident in every settlement you see. There are carved meeting houses, beautifully painted Maori churches, children riding horses bareback on the beach and conversations in Te Reo Maori.

The Gisborne/Eastland region features some of the best surf beaches in the country as well as world class fly fishing. Choose from a great selection of cafes, restaurants and bars, a number of which are sited in the vibrant harbour overlooking Gisborne's picturesque wharf.

This region provides the perfect base from which to explore some of New Zealand's great treasures, including Mt Hikurangi, The Pacific Coast Highway, Lake Waikaremoana, and the Mahia Peninsula.

Accommodation in this region includes quality motels, harbourside holiday apartments, farmstays and holiday parks.

The Tairawhiti Museum and Art Gallery in Gisborne has a reputation as one of the very best, most innovative regional museums in New Zealand.

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