East Cape is the easternmost point of the main islands of New Zealand. It is located to the north of Gisborne in the northeast of the North Island.
The name East Cape is also used to refer to the Gisborne region around the cape stretching from just north of the Mahia Peninsula northwards, and inland to Te Urewera National Park. This region was the site of many of the major conflicts of the New Zealand land wars in the 1860s.
East Cape reaches out to the Pacific Ocean, and is the first mainland place in the world to see the sun each day.
There's a wonderfully fresh quality to the scenery of Eastland. Bush fringed misty mountain lakes, beaches that have hardly changed for hundreds of years, farmland and vineyards that breathe the spirit of nature.
The further you go, the more nature's bounty tempts—camping, diving, fishing, hunting, swimming and surfing opportunities abound.
There are many interesting and beautiful walks within the region, but one of the most stunning areas for hiking and trekking is in the Te Urewera National Park, the third largest national park and the largest untouched native forest in New Zealand. Soft adventure, such as horse trekking is another way to experience the magic of East Cape.
The East Cape offers a slow, peaceful existence to those who reside there, and an equally relaxed, enchanting place for its visitors. With few harbours and a mountainous, wild bush interior, the Cape has been isolated for many years until the road network was completed. Inhabited predominantly by Maori, Gisborne and the Cape region place great emphasis on the retention of their culture and traditions - it is here you will hear Te Reo Maori (the Maori language) being spoken fluently and freely.
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East Cape
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View from East Cape looking towards East Island/Whangaokeno
Famous quotes containing the words east and/or cape:
“Before I finally went into winter quarters in November, I used to resort to the north- east side of Walden, which the sun, reflected from the pitch pine woods and the stony shore, made the fireside of the pond; it is so much pleasanter and wholesomer to be warmed by the sun while you can be, than by an artificial fire. I thus warmed myself by the still glowing embers which the summer, like a departed hunter, had left.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“Round the cape of a sudden came the sea,
And the sun looked over the mountain’s rim:
And straight was a path of gold for him,
And the need of a world of men for me.”
—Robert Browning (1812–1889)