Gisborne

Gisborne is the last bit of civilisation up in the north-east corner of New Zealand’s North Island. There’s not a lot there but it does have the distinction of being 'the first city in the world' - it’s the first city to the west of the International Date Line, so each new day starts here before it starts anywhere else. But the only thing I found to photograph there was the clock tower.

Beyond Gisborne it all becomes the kind of ‘slightly too empty’ kind of country that leaves you thinking 'why am I bothering' - but there you go. If you really want to escape there’s the East Cape corner, a 6-hour drive round the coast with almost nothing at all; failing that, there’s a cut-through up the Waioeka Valley which is equally remote but only a 2-hour drive. It captures, once again, the essence of New Zealand.