Gisborne, New Zealand

Gisborne, the first city in the world to see the sun each day, is located on the sunny East Coast of the North Island. The Maori name for the district is Tairawhiti which means "The coast upon which the sunshines across the water".

Wainui beach has several well known surf spots and is about 5km up the East Coast from the city.

Kaiti Beach, near the city, was where the Maori immigrational waka, Horouta, landed. It is also the first European landing place in New Zealand; Captain Cook sailed into Poverty Bay in 1769 and came ashore near the mouth of the Turanganui River.

The Gisborne district (population 45,000 with about 30,000 residing in the city) generally has warm summers and mild winters. Gisborne is one of the sunniest places in New Zealand with average yearly sunshine of around 2200 hours. The region's annual rainfall varies from about 1000mm near the coast to over 2500mm in the higher inland country. Temperatures of 38°C have been recorded and an average 65 days a year have a maximum of over 24°C.

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