Gisborne, Eastland

Located on New Zealand’s East Coast, this is the first city in the world to see the sun. The district’s Maori name is Tairawhiti which translates as "The coast upon which the sun shines across the water".  Indeed this is one of the sunniest places in New Zealand, ideal for growing grapes hence, it’s well known as Chardonnay country.
 
Gisborne is set in the heart of Poverty Bay named for Captain James Cook’s landing here in 1769, The Endevour’s crew fought with local Maori and some were even killed.  When Cook weighed anchor he named it Poverty Bay as he “had been afforded not one thing he wanted” during the visit.  But the region’s name belies its great abundance.
 
Poverty Bay’s Maori history dates back to the 12th Century when the canoe, or waka, Horouta landed from Hawaiki. This was also the first European Landing place in New Zealand.
 
Today Maori number nearly 50 percent of Gisborne’s population so you can’t go wrong for authentic cultural experiences. From the ocean … to the gentle green hills covered in pasture and vines of all sorts … basking in an average two thousand two hundred sunshine hours a year. Colonial settlers in this isolated part of New Zealand quickly realized its potential.  And today, while Gisbornites are proud of their lifestyle based city, the relaxed pace of the countryside is the key to the region’s charm.