Working on merchant ships surely does take one to some very offbeat places. Just like the pretty town of Gisborne which lies on the northern island of New Zealand in the Poverty bay. This happens to be the easternmost part of New Zealand and is very close to the international date line. The port (which has only one berth) is mainly used for the export of lumber / logs and is infamous for the presence of heavy swell at the very narrow and tricky harbour entrance. Ships tend to roll and pitch at the harbour entrance. This had resulted in a very serious grounding incident a few years ago. A very good pilot accompanied by the harbour master helped me to safely bring my ship alongside. Later, I went for a walk in the town. It is a wonderful town with about 30,000 odd inhabitants and is the place where Capt. Cook (the first white man) landed on the island of New Zealand in October 1769. A memorial to commemorate Capt. Cook's landing on the island was opened in 1906 near the harbour. Nothing fancy, just an obelisque and a couple of pages showing actual entries from Capt. Cook's log book.

The town has a unique charm of its own. It is very quaint to say the least and has a mix of various races, including many Maori's who are the original inhabitants of the island. The town has a high street which one can walk in about 15 minutes. It is mostly lined with all kinds of shops and a few cafe's and pubs. It also has a small clock tower. The town also has a scenic marina where there are nice yatchs, several of whom sport local maori names.

Another interesting bit in town is a nice walkway made on the banks of Turanganui river which incidentally happens to be the shortest river in New Zealand. One can also go to the top of the Kaiti hill from where one can get good aerial views of the city of Gisborne.

But for me, being a sailor, the fact that Capt. Cook made it to this island in 1769 at this very point makes this place most special for present day New Zealand.

For people who may wish to visit this place, Air NZ operates several flights daily from Auckland, Christchurch and Tauranga.