Planning a trip to Gisborne? This experience option has you covered with two incredible experiences that can be enjoyed across seperate days, or combined into one for an epic, iconic & memorable East Coast experience!
E- Bike Hire:
Cycle Gisborne provides everything you need for a day exploring Gisborne city & its surrounding beaches, museums cafe’s & more!
Tairāwhiti Gisborne, with its easy flat terrain, is the perfect town to explore via bike!
Here are a few top picks for a day of exploring on bike:
Kat’s top pic | Explore the river cycle ways and Oneroa beach cycle ways. Take in the museum, cafes, and sights along the way. There’s heaps of history on the trail, and beautiful beaches, so a swimsuit and sunscreen are a must!
Anelia’s top pick | Cycle to Wainui Beach on the Wainui cycleway. It’s off-road most of the way and there’s delicious ice cream at the Okitu stores to enjoy on the beautiful golden beaches. Freshen up between the flags near Wainui Surf Club afterward.
Tour the vineyards | Grab a Gisborne wine map and follow safe roads out of town. Visit some of Tairāwhiti Gisborne’s boutique cellar doors and enjoy a delicious Tairāwhiti Gisborne Chardonnay and a vineyard platter along the way.
Bike out to Gray’s Bush, take a picnic, and wander around this stand of original podocarp forest on the Poverty Bay flats. If you’ve got more energy left, head further inland to the Waihirere Domain and take a wander to the waterfalls.
Bike rental is available from the Gisborne i-Site or the office at Cycle Gisborne. Office is open by appointment only so please phone in advance.
Dive Tatapouri:
Dive Tatapouri located 15 minutes from Tairawhiti Gisborne, and offers a world famous interactive marine experience with Stingrays and other sea life. You’ll get to discover the Tamariki (Children) of Tangaroa (the Maori God of the Sea), whilst taking in the magical marine surroundings of Tatapouri on the East Coast of the North Island, where the first light touches NZ shores.
Once you have donned all the appropriate gear & been briefed on the beach front, the guides will walk you out onto the reef, where you will interact with Wild Short Tail Stingrays, Eagle Rays and other reef dwellers in their natural habitat. Let Pancake and Waffle, two Short Tail stingrays sit on your feet and wait for a gentle stroke, hard to imagine that Stingrays are perceived to be dangerous. The Reef Ecology Tour is a truly amazing and unforgettable experience.
Helping to create memories for adults and children of all ages, this fun and fascinating adventure to meet the Stingrays is also an educational experience that will have you walking away appreciating Stingrays and ocean life, along with gaining insights into the Stingrays some of which the Dive Tatapouri crew has been working with since they were born on the reef.