Trevor Brown is about as far removed from your normal tour coach driver as you can get. He is relaxed, laid-back, and occasionally laconic. He also knows the Gisborne region inside-out so he is a great tour guide. In fact, Trevor is not a regular tour driver at all. He has been farming in the Ngatapa Valley for 15 years and is a competitive sheep dog trialist. He is an enthusiastic walker and outdoorsman and for fun, operates a comfortable mini-coach for a personalised tour experience.
We had asked for a half-day Gisborne area orientation tour and that is exactly what we got. We visited Gisborne’s scenic, cultural and historic highlights, heard about the local industry and culture, visited some of the excellent beaches, sampled some of the excellent wines made in the region and visited a vineyard and winery where grapes are certified organic and where operations are governed by biodynamics. Trevor met us and returned us to our accommodation. In four hours we were totally orientated to Gisborne and had enjoyed tasting eight local wines. That seemed pretty good value for NZ$50.
Trev’s Tours offers a range of alternatives but Trevor Brown likes it best when he can customise something to meet passengers’ specific interests. He offers a half-day farm tour, a half-day wine trail tour, and day tours with lunch provided to Tolaga Bay and Anaura Bay to the north of Gisborne, Morere Hot Springs to the south, and the Ngatapa Valley to the east. We didn’t have time for this last tour but it sounds very interesting. It visits wineries, arts and craft studios, country gardens and the world-famous Eastwoodhill Arboretum. That’s down on our list for next time.
Prices start at NZ$35 for a Discover Gisborne tour to NZ$150 for extended offerings.
From journal New Zealand's remote East Coast