Getting Around with Gisborne Airport and City Taxi
Bookings/Phone: 022 586 7732
Alternative phone: 022 377 6420
Address: 2 Oates Street, Gisborne 4010
Hours: 4:45am to 10:00pm, 7 days a week
Website: Gisborne Airport and City Taxi
Email: gogisborne@slingshot.co.nz
Services: Airport transfers, local Gisborne taxi trips, dinner transfers, business transport and sightseeing trips.
Gisborne Airport and City Taxi: The Easy Way Into Town
There are airports where getting from the terminal to your accommodation requires an app, a shuttle bus, three escalators and a small amount of emotional resilience.
Gisborne is not one of them.
Land at Gisborne Airport, collect your bag, find a taxi and you can be in central Gisborne in around five or six minutes.
Yes, minutes.
In some cities, you can spend longer than that trying to work out which level of the airport car park your Uber is hiding on.
For visitors who simply want to get off the plane and get on with their holiday, Gisborne Airport and City Taxi is one of the local options worth knowing about.
A Very Gisborne-Sized Airport Transfer
One of the underrated pleasures of visiting Gisborne is just how close everything feels.
Gisborne Airport sits only a short drive from the central city.
The journey downtown normally takes around five or six minutes, which means your airport transfer may be over before you’ve finished explaining to the driver where you’ve come from.
That’s not a complaint.
After flying into Auckland and contemplating the traffic on the motorway, Gisborne’s version of an airport transfer feels almost suspiciously efficient.
You land.
You collect your luggage.
You get into a taxi.
A few minutes later, you’re basically there.
Welcome to Gisborne.
Who Are Gisborne Airport and City Taxi?
Airport and City Taxi is a premium 5 star taxi service. Family-owned, locally based and established in 2022.
Despite the airport-focused name, they’re not limited to ferrying slightly disorientated travellers between the terminal and their motel.
The service also covers general transport around Gisborne, including trips to restaurants, business meetings and other destinations around the city.
That makes them useful if you’re visiting Gisborne without a rental car and don’t particularly feel like studying bus routes while on holiday.
The service currently has a very strong Google rating of 4.9 out of 5 from 49 reviews, which is reassuring when you’re standing outside an airport holding a suitcase and wondering who to call.
It’s Not Just an Airport Taxi
The name undersells things slightly.
Gisborne Airport and City Taxi also provides transport around Gisborne, including:
airport pickups and drop-offs
accommodation transfers
restaurant transfers
business meeting transport
general trips around Gisborne
sightseeing and other transport by arrangement
This can be surprisingly handy for visitors.
Gisborne is compact, but your definition of “walking distance” can change dramatically after dinner, particularly if you’ve spent the afternoon investigating why the city is quite so enthusiastic about Chardonnay.
At that point, a taxi becomes less a transport service and more an excellent strategic decision.
Should You Book Your Airport Taxi Ahead?
We would.
It’s particularly sensible if you have an early flight, a firm check-in time or you’re travelling during a busy period.
Gisborne may be relaxed about many things.
Airlines remain strangely committed to leaving at approximately the advertised departure time.
What About Getting Around Gisborne Without a Car?
If you’re mainly staying around the city, you may discover that you don’t need a rental car for every day of your visit.
Central Gisborne is relatively compact, and taxis can fill the gaps between your accommodation, restaurants, the airport and places that are just far enough away to make walking suddenly seem less appealing.
If you’re planning to explore well beyond the city, however, hiring a car will usually give you considerably more freedom.
We recommend VIP Cars to check a range of rental vehicles available:
For those unsure about renting a vehicle, the trick is not automatically assuming you need one from the moment you land.
For a short city stay, a combination of walking and the occasional taxi can be refreshingly simple.
A Useful Bonus for SuperGold Card Holders
Here’s one detail visitors may easily miss.
Gisborne Airport and City Taxi currently offers 10% off taxi fares for SuperGold Card holders, according to the official SuperGold website.
You’ll need to show your card to the driver, and bookings are subject to availability.
It’s not going to finance your holiday.
But 10% is 10%.
We’d rather spend the difference on coffee.
The GisborneNZ Take
Transport by taxi isn’t normally something we’d describe as a highlight of a holiday.
That’s probably the point.
The best transport is the one you barely have to think about.
Gisborne Airport and City Taxi offers exactly the sort of straightforward, personalised local service that suits Gisborne.
Call, arrange your ride, get collected and get where you’re going.
And because Gisborne Airport is so close to town, there’s something rather satisfying about landing and discovering that your holiday has effectively started almost immediately.
No airport expressway.
No 45-minute crawl through traffic.
No watching the little car on your phone inexplicably drive away from you.
Just Gisborne.
