hopestotravelmore Posted August 4, 2015 #1 Share Posted August 4, 2015 Hi guys Trying to work out what to do in Gisborne next year on our cruise. Princess does not have any shore excursions on their website for this port. Are there any tour operators that can drive you around the city and country to view all the sites? thanks Maureen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Kruzer Posted August 4, 2015 #2 Share Posted August 4, 2015 Hi guys Trying to work out what to do in Gisborne next year on our cruise. Princess does not have any shore excursions on their website for this port. Are there any tour operators that can drive you around the city and country to view all the sites? thanks Maureen Gisborne is a relatively new cruise port and they may not have the tours finalised yet. I am sure they will be offering something.There are lots of vineyards in the area. Try a google search on Gisborne Tourist information centre and that may give a background to what may be available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedsGirl Posted August 31, 2015 #3 Share Posted August 31, 2015 (edited) Ah, my home town in NZ! I can tell you that Gisborne is not big, but no real public transport. I daresay you will be tendered into the wharf area, which is actually walking distance into town - like across a bridge - in fact you could probably walk to Waikanae Beach too. Gisborne has great beaches, a fantastic marae, wineries, great seafood, fishing, an arboretum - quite a bit to see and do really. The visitor's centre is probably the place to contact to pre-organise anything and yes, there are local operators who I am sure would be only to happy to take you out for a day - I guess the proviso is to be clear what time you need to be back at the ship, however the wineries, beaches and even cultural type experiences are not far from town, so you should be able to find something. http://www.gisbornenz.com/ is the website, you'll see the i-Site (vistors centre) details listed, but perhaps do some research to narrow down what you are most interested in and then they can help you with operators, costs etc. I do know a good friend of mine was helping organise the day trips when HAL's ships were in port so maybe they are still finalising everything - they work on Gizzie time you know :) Edited August 31, 2015 by RedsGirl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-D Posted August 31, 2015 #4 Share Posted August 31, 2015 (edited) For anyone at all interested in the history of European exploration, don't miss Captain Cook's first landing site in N.Z., and associated monument, along the shore just south of the river mouth in Gisborne. Anyone with a strong interest in Cook, and the time and stamina for some significant hiking, might want to find a way to the Tolaga Bay area some 50 km up the coast to the northeast. Cook's landing site there, and the "hole in the wall", are at Cook's Cove -- on a headland just to the south of the very long Tolaga wharf. The trail to the Cove is a round trip of a few kilometres over fields and hills, assuming no changes in the several years since we were there. John Edited August 31, 2015 by J-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hopestotravelmore Posted September 11, 2015 Author #5 Share Posted September 11, 2015 Thank you all for your replies. I have booked a feeding stingrays excursion in the morning and then we will explore Gisborne in the afternoon along with the Cook history sites. Maureen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Courier Posted September 29, 2015 #6 Share Posted September 29, 2015 I don't know why the various companies have chosen Gisborne as a landfall. Perhaps Napier is too crowded and can't accommodate more than one cruise ship at any one time. Gisborne doesn't have a lot going for it. Over the years I've found it to be very quiet with very few attractions. When our cruise docks there in January I will most definitely be staying on board the ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mungbeans Posted January 19, 2016 #7 Share Posted January 19, 2016 Nothing ventured nothing gained! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelbourneCruiser Posted January 22, 2016 #8 Share Posted January 22, 2016 Can anyone tell me how far is the dock/port that you tender to is from the town got an excursion in the morning and trying to see hard it would be to walk around town after it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mungbeans Posted January 23, 2016 #9 Share Posted January 23, 2016 Can anyone tell me how far is the dock/port that you tender to is from the town got an excursion in the morning and trying to see hard it would be to walk around town after it. Did some research yes, really easy to walk to city centre from port drop off, pretty much there, by foot 2 mins at most. Google earth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mungbeans Posted February 27, 2016 #10 Share Posted February 27, 2016 Hi Guys, there is a neat winery tour - offered by Wrights Vineyard and Winery, Gisborne for independent travellers. It has had some rave reviews on trip advisor and seems very affordable at $65 a hear, including coach, scenic trip, winery tour, wines matched with tapa's and shared platters. Leaves port at 11am and back around 1.30pm. There contact details are info@wrightswines.co.nz, http://www.wrightswines.co.nz/cruise-ship-tours-in-gisborne/ See you there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUT2407 Posted February 27, 2016 #11 Share Posted February 27, 2016 Bet Princess excursions come, given a bit of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAVTAM Posted February 28, 2016 #12 Share Posted February 28, 2016 Tender off, visited the steam locomotive, then walk along the waterway into the park, circled back thru town and local library,(wifi) and then back to ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxc Posted February 29, 2016 #13 Share Posted February 29, 2016 (edited) I'm just back from my Princess cruise with a port stop at Gisborne. I took a ship's shore excursion, a Town & Coastal Drive. We rode around the surrounding area for 2 hours on a coach bus. We went up into the hills, saw some Cook historical sites, and drove along the beach front. After the excursion, we were dropped off at the town centre. Took a stroll along the main street, and looked in the shops and cafes. There is a free shuttle bus between the city and the port, which we took back to the tender. Edited February 29, 2016 by zxc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hopestotravelmore Posted February 29, 2016 Author #14 Share Posted February 29, 2016 Hi Zxc I just returned to. Was on the Golden Princess and did a reef walk with stingrays Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2552phxcrzr Posted April 8, 2016 #15 Share Posted April 8, 2016 This is a stop on the Oceania RTW cruise next year and I just finished researching it. There is a free app you can download (also available for Android) ... http://www.outeast.co.nz/ ... very helpful. For those who enjoy murals, there is a mural trail that winds through town. Also the museum could be interesting ... http://www.tairawhitimuseum.org.nz/. And I read that there is a lovely marae (Maori meeting house). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now