The Curious Case of Gisborne Time

Yeah, I'll get that later

Visitors to Fiji know about island time.

Visitors to Hawaii know about island time.

Visitors to the Cook Islands definitely know about island time.

What fewer people know is that New Zealand has quietly developed its own version.

It's called Gisborne Time.

Unlike island time, which is usually blamed on palm trees, warm weather and the ocean, nobody is entirely sure how Gisborne Time evolved. Many have theories. None have been proven.

What we do know is that Gisborne operates according to a unique relationship with time.

In Auckland, if someone says they'll be there in five minutes, they are probably already reversing out of the driveway.

In Wellington, they are checking traffic conditions and estimating arrival times to the nearest thirty seconds.

In Gisborne, "five minutes" can mean several things:

• I am about to leave.

• I should probably leave.

• I have every intention of leaving.

• I saw someone I know.

• I stopped for a coffee.

• I am currently discussing fishing conditions with a complete stranger.

• I will definitely be there today.

The remarkable thing is that nobody seems particularly concerned.

A quick trip to the supermarket can unexpectedly become a social event. A coffee can become lunch. A walk around the block can become an afternoon.

Somewhere between the beach, the sunshine and the fact that half the town seems to know each other, clocks lose a little of their authority.

This is not laziness.

It is not disorganisation.

It is simply a collective local belief that most things will work out eventually.

And to be fair, they usually do.

Visitors often arrive with carefully planned itineraries. Every hour allocated. Every activity scheduled.

Then Gisborne happens.

The surf looks good.

The café is too comfortable to leave.

Someone recommends a beach you've never heard of.

The winery lunch runs longer than expected.

Suddenly the day has disappeared and you've achieved only half of what was on your list.

Oddly enough, it turns out to be one of the best days of your holiday.

Perhaps that's the secret of Gisborne Time.

Unlike most places, Gisborne isn't constantly trying to hurry you somewhere else.

It quietly suggests that wherever you are right now is probably worth staying a little longer.

And if you're running late?

Don't worry.

The person you're meeting is probably operating on Gisborne Time too.