The Luxury Guide to Gisborne© Pixabay
The Luxury Guide to Gisborne

The Luxury Travel Guide to Gisborne

© Pixabay
Article Single Pages© NZPocketGuide.com
Article Single Pages© NZPocketGuide.com
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Plan a Luxury Trip to Gisborne

Swap the hyped tourist hotspots for the laidback ambience, off-the-beaten-track experiences and authentic culture and tastes of Gisborne. Known as “Tairawhiti” in Maori, the city and its surrounds are rich in culture, which travellers get to engage in with personal Maori tours to even waka (canoe) and helicopter excursions. Gisborne is also a hidden gem of the winemaking world, with cellar door experiences in and around the city. As for accommodation, there’s the familiar with international-style hotels to the homely with boutique B&Bs to the unique with glamping.

Plan your premium getaway to the first city in the world to see the sunrise with this luxury travel guide to Gisborne.

Luxury Activities in Gisborne

  • Experience Gisborne from a Maori waka cruise
  • Fly or 4WD to the first place to see the sun, Mt Hikurangi
  • Experience Eastwoodhill Arboretum on a curator’s tour
  • Get a premium cellar door experience at the local wineries
  • Immerse in the Maori culture with Tipuna Tours
  • Ride through bush and river with Waikereru Horse Riding Adventures
  • Indulge in Gisborne’s fine dining restaurants.

Learn more about each experience in the 8 Luxury Activities in Gisborne.

The Luxury Guide to Gisborne© NZPocketGuide.com

Luxury Adventure Activities

Embrace the rich culture of Gisborne and discover its stunning surrounds on the premium tours available. For instance, fly by helicopter or do a 4WD tour to Mt Hikurangi to discover the first land of New Zealand to see the sunrise. Maunga Hikurangi offer a number of ways to experience the sacred mountain, incorporating the legends and history of the local Maori people. Tours depart from Ruatoria, two hours north of Gisborne on the Pacific Coast Highway.

Alternatively, use a more traditional Maori transport method to discover the Gisborne region with Waka Voyager Tairawhiti. Set sail on a double-hulled canoe and learn about Celestial Navigation that the early Maori used to sail to New Zealand, all while seeing the city highlights and landmarks from shore.

And explore the stunning surrounding countryside on a horse riding excursion with Waikeruru Horse Riding Adventures. Their full-day package includes morning tea under a farmhouse verandah before having a short “get to know you” session with your horse in the arena before hitting the trails. Then, it’s a day out among the lush farmland, native bush and along the Waimata River with a picnic, dinner, accommodation and breakfast included.

Dive deeper into the experiences of Gisborne and get more inspiration with our 8 Luxury Activities in Gisborne.

The Luxury Guide to Gisborne© Pixabay

Luxury All-weather Activities

When the weather isn’t playing ball, which isn’t too often in sunny Gisborne, then you need to wine! Gisborne is surrounded by premium wineries to treat your tastebuds, such as the Bushmere Estate offering wine tastings, coffee and lunch from Wednesday to Sunday. Enjoy the rustic charm of the Matawhero Wines cellar door with a cool underground cellar and irresistible platters. Finally, don’t miss Millton Vineyards & Winery open Monday to Friday for wine tastings and platters.

And if you want to taste it all and not travel too far, the Gisborne Wine Centre does just the trick. Just ask for a guided wine tasting to get the full story on the Gisborne wine region or pop in between Tuesday and Saturday to wine and dine.

For more all-weather ideas, check out the 10 Things to Do in Gisborne on a Rainy Day.

The Luxury Guide to Gisborne© Pixabay

Fine Dining in Gisborne

We’ve talked a lot about wining and dining, but it’s kind of the thing to do in Gisborne. Focussing more on the food now, here are some of the finest eateries in Gisborne to be treated to.

For impeccably-presented plates and French-inspired cuisine, try The Marina Restaurant (1 Vogel Street). The riverside restaurant menu consists of the likes of minted pea risotto with feta cheese, fish of the day with chive and potato mash and  Wakanui beef fillet.

For more casual fine dining yet still elegant with quality fare, book a table at The Works (41 The Esplanade). Enjoy the latest seasonal offerings with something to suit carnivores to vegetarians.

Finally, enjoy the delectable bistro menu of the USSCo (16 Childers Road) in the historic Union Steam Ship Company building. Try fabulous cocktails and internationally-inspired food.

For more recommendations, head over to The Foodie Guide to Gisborne.

More About Gisborne

That’s it for the luxury travel guide to Gisborne. Find even more tips to make your luxury getaway exceptional in The Luxury Travel Guide to New Zealand.

Sources:

The information in this guide has been compiled from our extensive research, travel and experiences across New Zealand and the South Pacific, accumulated over more than a decade of numerous visits to each destination. Additional sources for this guide include the following:

Our editorial standards: At NZ Pocket Guide, we uphold strict editorial standards to ensure accurate and quality content.

About The Author

Laura S.

This article has been reviewed and published by Laura, the editor-in-chief and co-founder of NZ Pocket Guide. Laura is a first-class honours journalism graduate and a travel journalist with expertise in New Zealand and South Pacific tourism for over 10 years. She also runs travel guides for five of the top destinations in the South Pacific and is the co-host of over 250 episodes of the NZ Travel Show on YouTube.

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