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Where: Gisborne City Vintage Railway, Awapuni Road When: Check website for details Official website: www.gcvr.org.nz Gisborne's Wa165, the only surviving locomotive of its class in the world There are tourist attractions that feel manufactured. Then there are attractions that somehow survived history. The Gisborne City Vintage Railway belongs firmly in the second category. On selected weekends throughout the warmer months, a beautifully restored vintage train leaves Gisborne

Most visitors walking down Gladstone Road see three unoccupied old buildings. Locals see three unanswered questions. For more than a decade, Gisborne’s most prominent buildings have sat at the centre of one of New Zealand’s most unusual property sagas, a story involving a royal visit, a methamphetamine conviction, Singapore businessmen, international investigations, High Court proceedings and millions of dollars worth of commercial property. It is a story so strange that if i

Gisborne's legendary Pie Sandwich, Gisborne NZ The pie sandwich is not a bakery menu item. This is important. You do not walk into a Gisborne bakery and confidently order: "One pie sandwich, thanks." The person behind the counter would likely stare at you for a moment before deciding whether you were joking. Because the pie sandwich is not commercially manufactured. It is assembled. Usually in a work ute. Or beside a rugby field. Or at a surf break. Or leaning against a dairy

Te Tapuwae o Rongokako Marine Reserve, Gisborne NZ Most visitors come to Gisborne looking at the ocean. Few realise some of the region's most remarkable scenery lies beneath it. North of Gisborne, along a spectacular stretch of coastline near Whangara, Te Tapuwae o Rongokako Marine Reserve protects an underwater world that remains largely untouched by commercial fishing and coastal development. It is one of those places that reminds you the Pacific Ocean is far more than a be

Young Nick's Head from Waikanae Beach, Gisborne NZ Every city has a landmark. Some build one. Gisborne was given one by nature. Rising dramatically from the Pacific Ocean at the southern entrance to Poverty Bay, Young Nick's Head is one of the most recognisable natural features in Gisborne. Locals see it almost every day. Visitors photograph it constantly. And once you've noticed it, it becomes impossible to ignore. The distinctive headland has been watching over the coastlin

Rere Falls, Gisborne NZ People come for the surf, the sunshine and the coastline. Which is precisely why Rere Falls catches so many visitors by surprise. About 50 minutes inland from the city, the landscape changes dramatically. Rolling farmland replaces the ocean, quiet country roads wind through the hills, and eventually one of the region's most beautiful natural attractions appears beside the roadside. No long hike. No steep climb. No complicated visitor centre. Just a wat

Rere Rockslide, Rere, Gisborne NZ Some attractions require a ticket. Some require a guide. Some require months of marketing hype before anyone pays attention. Rere Rockslide requires none of those things. It is simply a large rock, flowing water, and a slightly questionable decision-making process. And somehow that combination has become one of Gisborne's most famous attractions. Located about 50 minutes inland from the city, Rere Rockslide has been entertaining adventurous l

Some destinations are built around a single landmark. Gisborne is different. Its appeal comes from the variety of landscapes scattered throughout the city and surrounding district. Within a relatively short drive, visitors can discover golden surf beaches, dramatic coastal cliffs, waterfalls, marine reserves, ancient tree collections and some of the most spectacular ocean views in New Zealand. Rather than trying to rank them, here are ten natural attractions that help define

Tuanine Point Lighthouse, Gisborne NZ There are certain places around Gisborne that feel strangely untouched by modern tourism. Tuahine Point Lighthouse is one of them. No ticket booth. No visitor centre. No souvenir shop. Just a narrow stretch of coastline, a forgotten lighthouse standing above the Pacific, and a walk that feels more like discovering a local secret than visiting an attraction. For many visitors, the lighthouse is simply something spotted in the distance from

TIP: For accurate tide information, refer to the MetService Marine Tides. Beach walk at sunset, Gisborne NZ Most visitors arrive in Gisborne thinking about sunshine. Locals pay attention to something else. The tide. Because in Gisborne, the ocean quietly changes the city twice a day. The beach you walked across in the morning may look completely different by afternoon. Rock pools appear and disappear. Surf breaks change shape. Fishing spots become accessible or submerged. Ent

Smash Palace Bar, Gisborne NZ Some cities have concert venues. Gisborne has scenes. On any given weekend, live music in Gisborne might be happening in a garden bar beneath fairy lights, inside a cinema that somehow doubles as one of New Zealand’s most atmospheric music venues, in a packed local bar hosting a touring band, or outdoors with the sound of the ocean not far away. It is one of the reasons many visitors end up staying out later than they planned. Gisborne’s live mus

Spectacular view from Midway Beach with Young Nick's Head in the background, Gisborne NZ When: Expected January 2027 Where: Gisborne Beaches • Dates To Be Confirmed For updates: www.surfing.co.nz Some events feel perfectly matched to the place that hosts them. The National Surfing Championships returning to Gisborne feels like one of those events. Gisborne has become one of the natural homes of New Zealand surfing, with the region regularly hosting major national competitions

Rhythm and Vines has become a yearly pilgrimage for the young and young at heart, Gisborne NZ Date: 29 December 2027 – 1 January 2028 (Camping and early access traditionally begin from 28 December.) Location: Waiohika Estate, Gisborne Official Website: www.rhythmandvines.co.nz For a few days between Christmas and New Year, Gisborne changes completely. Quiet coastal streets suddenly fill with festival buses, surfboards strapped to dusty cars, barefoot crowds carrying camping g

Gisborne hosts a round of the D1NZ National Drifting Championship, Gisborne NZ Date: March 2027, date to be advised Location: H BlackBee Drift Park, Dunstan Road, Gisborne Official Website: www.d1nz.com For years, drifting in Gisborne lived quietly in industrial yards, rural backroads and late-night car culture conversations. Now it has a national championship round. A major Gisborne motorsport event, is hosting a round of the D1NZ National Drifting Championship that brings p

Superstock Thunder at Awapuni Speedway, Gisborne NZ Date: Friday 27 February & Saturday 28 February 2027 Friday: Round Two City Smart Repairs Superstock Points Dash Saturday: Superstock Thunder Location: Awapuni Speedway (Eastland Group Raceway)Awapuni Road, Gisborne Official Website: www.gisbornespeedway.co.nz There are sports where contact is frowned upon. New Zealand Superstocks is not one of them. Every summer, Awapuni Speedway in Gisborne transforms into one of the loude

The Chardonnay Affair Event, May, Gisborne NZ Date: To be formally announced. Expected to return in late May 2027. Location: Various venues throughout Gisborne, including wineries, vineyards, coastal venues and curated event locations across the city and surrounding region. Official Website: www.thechardonnayaffair.co.nz There are some events in Gisborne that feel distinctly local. The Chardonnay Affair somehow manages to feel both deeply Gisborne and quietly world-class at t

Spectacular Gisborne coastal scenery, First Light Marathon, Gisborne NZ Event: First Light Marathon 2027 Date: Saturday, 23 January 2027 Location: Gisborne, New Zealand Distances: Marathon, Half Marathon & 6km Fun Run Start Area: Midway Beach / Midway Surf Club Official website: www.first-light-marathon.com There are easier marathons in the world. There are flatter marathons. Faster marathons. Marathons with fewer hills, less sand and considerably less suffering. But there ar

Gisborne Farmers' Market, every Saturday from 9:30am, Gisborne NZ There are two kinds of people in Gisborne on Saturday mornings. Those already at the farmers market by 9:25am. And those circling slowly for a park pretending they “weren’t really in a hurry anyway.” The Gisborne Farmers' Market has quietly become one of the real weekly rhythms of Gisborne life. Every Saturday morning the Old Army Hall carpark transforms into a dense little ecosystem of coffee, produce, bread,

Gisborne from Kaiti Hill, Gisborne NZ There are certain things visitors do in Gisborne whether they originally planned to or not. They go to the beach. They start talking about moving here “one day.” And eventually, somebody says: “Have you been up Kaiti Hill yet?” Officially known as Titirangi Reserve, but still commonly called Kaiti Hill by locals, this is Gisborne’s most visited visitor attraction and arguably the city’s best introduction to itself. Because from the top, G

There’s something slightly suspicious about Gisborne. Not in a dangerous way. More in a why are more people not talking about this place? kind of way. The beaches are good. The weather is absurdly reliable. Parking is easy. The coastline feels wild without being inaccessible. And somehow the entire city still behaves like it hasn’t fully realised how attractive it is. Which, honestly, might be part of the charm. This is not a city trying desperately to impress you. Gisborne j