The town of Gisborne (pop. 32,000) lies in Poverty Bay (so named by Captain Cook in 1769), on the southern edge of the East Cape. Cook landed on Kaiti Beach, where the Turanganui River flows into the sea, but was prevented by the aggressive attitude of the local Maoris from taking in food and water. The country round Poverty Bay is now a fertile fruit-growing area.
Situated off the main communication routes and far from the important New Zealand markets, Gisborne was long regarded as the 'end of the world'. Even today, with improved communications, the population continues to decline. Nevertheless each year from Christmas to New Year Gisborne is extremely busy because the New Year's sun first touches land here. For the turn of the millennium all hotel accommodation in Gisborne and the vicinity was booked out months in advance.
From Kaiti Hill (Titirangi), at the foot of which Cook landed in 1769, there are magnificent views of the town and the surroundings. To the south there is a prospect over Poverty Bay as far as Young Nick's Head. On the summit of the hill is an observatory.
At the foot of Kaiti Hill is the Poko-O-Rawiri meeting house (1925), one of the largest and most recent of its kind, though it departs from the old tradition. The carving is by the Rotorua school (Rotorua). Above the building is a small Maori church.
The Maritime Museum, on the banks of the Taruheru river, displays a variety of material, including relics of the Star of Canada, which ran aground on Kaiti Beach.
The arboretum, 50km west of Gisborne, is best reached via the Ruakaka Road. Its delightful landscaped gardens contain about 2500 species of tree indigenous to the northern hemisphere.
North of Gisborne, along the road to the East Cape, are a series of beautiful beaches: Wainui Beach (5km), Makorori (14km), Whangara (28km), Waihau (45km) and Tolaga Bay (55km).
The Mahia Peninsula, a hilly promontory projecting south into the sea, separates Hawke's Bay, to the south, from Poverty Bay. Here, some 80km south of Gisborne, are a number of beautiful beaches and peaceful holiday places.
14km southwest of Gisborne is Manutuke, with two beautifully carved 19th C meeting houses. The bargeboards on the roof of the Te Mana-ki-Turanga house (1883) show the god Tane separating the sky from the earth and Maui drawing his great fish out of the sea. The Te Hau-ki-Turanga house (1842) that formerly stood nearby is now in the National Museum in Wellington. The other one still in Manutuke, Te Poho Rukupo, was built in 1887 in honor of the Maori chief Rupuko, who was famed as a woodcarver.
The church at Matawhero, 7km west of Gisborne, is the oldest church in the region. Constructed of kauri wood, it was built in 1862 as a storehouse for Captain Read, one of the early settlers, and 10 years later was converted into an Anglican church, bought by the Presbyterians in 1872. It was the only building spared by Te Kooti when he ravaged the area in 1868.
At Rongopai, 20km northwest of Gisborne, is a meeting house built in great haste (1888) when a visit from the Maori leader Te Kooti, who had been pardoned by the government, was expected - though he did not in fact turn up. The paintings in the interior, with their range of colors, show a radical break with Maori tradition and strong European influences. When the house was built older Maoris are said to have been appalled by the work of their younger artists.
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