There’s a particular kind of traveller who ends up in Gisborne. Not the checklist crowd racing between landmarks, but the ones who prefer to slow down a little. The ones who notice the light, the space, and the feeling that maybe, just maybe, they’ve stumbled onto somewhere a bit special.

Two days in Gisborne is just enough time to get a feel for the place. Not everything, of course. Gisborne isn’t really built for rushing. But 48 hours gives you enough space to settle in, see a few highlights, and still leave with that feeling you didn’t quite get to the bottom of it.

Ask ten locals about the best beach in Gisborne and you’ll get ten different answers. Not because they’re being difficult. It’s because each beach here does something slightly different. Some are for surfing, some for swimming, some for doing very little at all.