Gisborne is a large city on the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island. It’s known for its wineries and surf beaches. It is situated on the north side of Poverty Bay with its large stretch of coastline and white sand beaches that are popular for swimming and surfing.We arrived here yesterday after a long drive. Highway 2 ( a more direct route from Rotorua is closed in several places because of landslides that have occured after torrential rains. Instead of a simple three-hour trip, we had to detour south to Taupo and go east almost to Napier (which we will visit tomorrow) and then do a three hour drive north to Gisborne. That took us a little over six hours of driving. I understand that some people have taken eight hours to get here from Rotorua.
We only made a few stops along the way at some more significant spots because we need to save time. Anyway, we will repeat half of this drive in reverse on our way to Napier. One of the famous sights was the Huka Falls in Taupo. This set of waterfalls are on the Waikato River which drains Lake Taupō – an enormous lake in the caldera of an extinct volcano.
A few hundred metres upstream from Huka Falls, the Waikato River narrows from approximately 100 metres across to a canyon only 15 metres across. The canyon is carved into lake floor sediments laid down before Taupō Volcano’s eruption 26,500 years ago. The volume of water flowing through often approaches 220 cubic metres per second, making it one of the highest flowing waterfalls in the world.
Near the falls, we came aross this oddity – a converted Russian helicopter that has been turned into a roadside tourist attraction.The helicopter, is a Russian Mil Mi-8MTV-1 with registration YS-1006P. Historically, this helicopter was used as personal VIP transport for Fidel Castro and Daniel Ortega in Cuba before being used for logging in New Zealand. Its current paintwork is nothing like the serious colours it probably had in Cuba!
Along the highway to Nelson, we passed Waipunga Falls – a stunning, multi-tiered natural attraction located along State Highway 5, roughly halfway between Taupō and Napier. The falls drop by about 120 feet (approximately 40 meters) in multiple branches, formed by the Waipunga River. There is no defined track to the base of the waterfall, so views are typically enjoyed from a distance at the designated lookout.
The landscape along the way varied significantly. For many kilomettres after leaving Taupo, we passed through kilometre after kilometre of pine forests. Then, we came across rolling hills and farmland with some quite spectacular views.
Near Napier is the Mohaka Viaduct – a significant railway viaduct that spans the Mohaka River. At 95 metres tall and 276.8 metres long, it is the tallest viaduct in Australasia. When constructed, it was the fourth highest in the world. Construction began in 1930 but was temporarily halted in 1931 due to the Great Depression. Work resumed in 1936, and the viaduct was completed and opened in July 1937.
We drove northwards the last three hours with hardly a stop seeing that we can explore more of the country tomorrow as we return south.
Today, after a very late start due to our fatigue, we explored around the city of Gisborne. This city is a major New Zealand forestry hub, with the Port exporting over 3 million tonnes of Radiata pine logs annually. These largely go to China, Korea, Japan, and India. Forestry is a primary economic driver for the region. Large trucks arrive with logs every few minutes making me wonder if there are any trees at all left in the mountains. I’m sure that the industry is in good hands as Forestry NZ has a good reputation for managing forests and their growth.
This location, on Poverty Bay is the place where two famous explorers first landed. Maori landed at Gisborme in the 1200–1300s. Two leaders, Kīwa settled in Poverty Bay, while Māia built a settlement at Kaiti Beach. In 1768, James Cook set sail from England to observe the transit of Venus in Tahiti and find ‘Terra Australis’, a hypothetical southern continent that geographers believed balanced the large continents of the northern hemisphere.
Cook’s first landing in New Zealand was at Poverty Bay. Its name came from a mix up in langage. Cook landed in search of food and water and was greeted by local Maori. He misunderstood their greeting as a threat. A fight ensued and a couple of Maori were killed. Cook left without food and water, so he named the bay ‘Poverty Bay’. A granite obelisk marks the place where he landed. The object in the backround is a pedestrian bridge in the shape of a Maori war canoe.
Nearby in the park is a very unique statue of Captain Cook. I have seen statues of him in many places around the world but this one is unique as it is the only one that I have seen that doesn’t have a seagull perched on his head.
Our afternoon explorations took us north, following the coastline, passing surf beaches intersperesed with a rugged coastline. For some of the time, we were back in undulating farm country.
We finished today’s exploration at the little town of Tolago Bay with its old pub and very long jetty.
A town was established here, early in New Zealand’s history to service the trade in whaling and flax.When Tolaga Bay Wharf was built in 1929, it was a lifeline for a remote region that had only limited road access. At its peak, more than 130 ships worked the port, bringing in essential farming supplies and transporting locally produced meat and wool.
Today, Tolaga Bay Wharf is no longer a working port but is instead a local landmark, notable for being 660 metres long and for its robust concrete design. When the wharf was built, it was a significant engineering achievement. Tolaga Bay is not only shallow, but also wide, which means it is exposed to storms and swells. It took three years (and as many redesigns) to complete the wharf, which still stands today, nearly 100 years later.
Tomorrow, we retrace our steps south to visit the art-deco city of Napier.
This was a great post Bruce, particularly after such a long drive.
Magnificent reports! Bruce.