6 Best Hikes & Scenic Walks in Gisborne: First Light Summits & Coastal Arches
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6 Best Hikes & Scenic Walks in Gisborne: First Light Summits & Coastal Arches

6 Best Hikes & Scenic Walks in Gisborne: First Light Summits & Coastal Arches

Gisborne (Tūranganui-a-Kiwa) is the first city on planet earth to greet the rising sun each morning. Isolated on the wild East Coast of the North Island, this region is steeped in profound dual history: the ancient ancestral voyaging landings of the Horouta and Tākitimu waka, and Captain James Cook’s first 1769 New Zealand landfall at Poverty Bay.

Beyond its world-class surf breaks and sun-soaked Chardonnay vineyards, Tairāwhiti Gisborne is a tramper’s dream of untamed coastlines, dramatic marine rock arches, cascading bush waterfalls, and botanical arboretum wonders. Here is the local guide to the six best walks and hikes in and around Gisborne.

(Looking for surf breaks, winery lunches, and East Cape road trips? Check out our Gisborne Travel Guide.)

1. Kaiti Hill (Titirangi) Reserve & Lookouts

  • Distance & Duration: 3.5 km return (or drive to summit) | 1–1.5 hours walk
  • Elevation Gain & Difficulty: +130 m | Easy to Moderate (well-graded pathways and fitness stairs)
  • Trailhead & Parking: Kaiti Beach Road car park or Queens Drive car park.
  • Dog Policy & Facilities: Dogs allowed on leash. Carved Māori pou whenua, fitness stations, and picnic lookouts at summit. Rising 130 metres directly over Gisborne’s harbour and Poverty Bay, Titirangi (Kaiti Hill) is the spiritual and historical anchor of the city. Starting near the Captain Cook Landing Site National Historic Reserve at Kaiti Beach, the walking trail ascends through native pōhutukawa and puriri groves. At the summit plateau, you’ll find intricately carved Māori whakairo (carvings) and an unrivaled 360-degree panorama: looking down on the city, the winding Tūranganui River, the fertile Poverty Bay flats, and the chalky white sea cliffs of Young Nick’s Head (Te Kuri a Pāoa).

Local Trail Tip: Climb Titirangi 30 minutes before dawn. You will be among the very first humans on the planet to watch the sun rise out of the Pacific Ocean.

2. Cook’s Cove Walkway (Tolaga Bay)

  • Distance & Duration: 5.8 km return | 2–2.5 hours
  • Elevation Gain & Difficulty: +180 m | Moderate (coastal farm paddocks, bush gullies, and stepped bluffs)
  • Trailhead & Parking: Cook's Cove Walkway car park (Wharf Road, Tolaga Bay, 45 mins north of Gisborne).
  • Dog Policy & Facilities: Strictly No Dogs (working sheep farm and archaeological reserve). Toilets at car park. Note: Closed for lambing from August 1 to Labour Weekend. A spectacular coastal tramp blending maritime history with geological wonder. Starting near the famous historic Tolaga Bay Wharf, the track climbs through coastal farm pastures and native bush gullies before descending into secluded Cook’s Cove, where Captain Cook anchored HMS Endeavour in 1769 to take on fresh water and timber. The standout feature is the Hole-in-the-Wall (Te Kotere o te Wheke)—a massive, natural rock tunnel carved cleanly through a sheer coastal cliff by millions of years of ocean wave action.

Local Trail Tip: Explore the tidal rock pools around the Hole-in-the-Wall at low tide, and walk out onto the wooden bridge across the cove stream to view the historic well site.

3. Te Tapuwae o Rongokako Marine Reserve Shoreline Walk (Pouawa)

  • Distance & Duration: 4.0 km return | 1–1.5 hours
  • Elevation Gain & Difficulty: Flat | Easy (rocky tidal reefs and sandy shoreline)
  • Trailhead & Parking: Pouawa Beach car park (State Highway 35, 16 km north of Gisborne).
  • Dog Policy & Facilities: Strictly No Dogs (marine and shorebird reserve). Established in 1999, Te Tapuwae o Rongokako protects 2,450 hectares of pristine coastal and marine habitats. At low tide, the ocean retreats to reveal vast, flat intertidal rock platforms and deep natural rock pools teeming with sea life. Walking along the rocky shelves, you can peer into gin-clear pools filled with colourful sea anemones, kina, crayfish, eagle rays, and schooling juvenile fish.

Local Trail Tip: Strict Tide Walk: This walk must be done at low tide. Wear sturdy water shoes or reef booties with thick soles to protect against sharp rock surfaces and kina spines.

4. Rere Falls & Rere Rockslide Reserve

  • Distance & Duration: 1.5 km return | 30–45 minutes
  • Elevation Gain & Difficulty: Flat | Easy (grassy riverside pathways)
  • Trailhead & Parking: Rere Falls / Rere Rockslide car parks (Wharekopae Road, 35 mins inland from Gisborne).
  • Dog Policy & Facilities: Dogs allowed on leash. Picnic areas and public toilets at Rere Falls. Located in the lush inland Wharekopae River valley, this area features two natural water attractions within 2 km of each other. Rere Falls is a picturesque 20-metre-wide curtain waterfall plunging over a sheer rock ledge into a wide river swimming basin. Down the road lies the world-famous Rere Rockslide—a 60-metre-long natural rock water chute formed by polished sandstone bedrock.

Local Trail Tip: Pack an inflatable bodyboard, boogie board, or heavy-duty rubber tube if you want to slide down the rockslide. Wear wetsuit shorts or thick swimwear to protect against friction.

5. Wainui Beach to Okitu Dunes Walk

  • Distance & Duration: 6.0 km return (customizable beach walk) | 1.5 hours
  • Elevation Gain & Difficulty: Flat | Easy (firm golden sand at mid-to-low tide)
  • Trailhead & Parking: Wainui Beach Surf Club or Pines car park.
  • Dog Policy & Facilities: Dog-friendly (observe seasonal off-leash zones). Public restrooms at surf club. Wainui Beach is Gisborne’s premier surf beach, renowned internationally for its powerful hollow beach breaks. A sunrise or early morning walk along the 4 km stretch of golden sand between the Pines and Okitu headland is pure therapy. The beach is flanked by towering native sand dunes stabilized by golden pingao grass, with rolling Pacific breakers crashing alongside.

Local Trail Tip: Drop into Zephyr Cafe across from the beach after your walk for an artisan coffee and freshly baked morning muffin.

6. Eastwoodhill National Arboretum: Masterpiece Forest Tracks

  • Distance & Duration: 25 km of walking tracks (routes from 1.0 km to 8.0 km) | 1–3 hours
  • Elevation Gain & Difficulty: Flat to moderate undulating | Easy to Moderate
  • Trailhead & Parking: Eastwoodhill Arboretum Visitor Centre (Wharekopae Road, Ngatapa, 30 mins from Gisborne).
  • Dog Policy & Facilities: Dogs on leash permitted. Cafe, visitor centre, nursery, and accessible bathrooms. Small entry admission fee ($15 adults). Spanning 135 hectares, Eastwoodhill is the official National Arboretum of New Zealand and holds the largest and most comprehensive collection of Northern Hemisphere trees in the Southern Hemisphere (over 25,000 species). The network of colour-coded walking trails leads through majestic cathedral-like groves of giant redwoods, English oaks, Japanese maples, and rare magnolias.

Local Trail Tip: Autumn (late March to May) is spectacular at Eastwoodhill. The arboretum explodes into a blaze of fiery crimson, gold, and amber foliage, rivaling the great autumn displays of New England.

🌊 East Coast Safety & Cultural Respect Guidelines

  1. Sacred Land (Tapu): The East Coast has deep Māori ancestral roots. Treat carving sites (pou), ancient pā reserves, and historical monuments with absolute reverence.
  2. Rural Highway Caution: State Highway 35 (the Pacific Coast Highway) is winding and prone to slips. Drive with care when accessing coastal trailheads.
  3. Marine Reserve Rules: Te Tapuwae o Rongokako is a strict no-take marine reserve. Do not collect shells, seafood, or disturb marine organisms.

Before You Hit the Trail: Gisborne Trail Answers

When is Cook's Cove Walkway closed?

The track crosses a working coastal farm and is closed every year for annual lambing from August 1 until the start of Labour Weekend (late October). Plan your trip between November and July.

How do I get to Rere Falls and Eastwoodhill?

Both are located along Wharekopae Road, a scenic 30-to-35-minute drive inland from downtown Gisborne. There is no public transit; private transport or a rental vehicle is required.

Is Kaiti Hill suitable for pushchairs?

Yes. The paved roads and sealed footpaths leading up to the summit lookouts are accessible for all-terrain pushchairs and strollers.