The Tairāwhiti Museum, with its fab gallery extension, focuses on East Coast Māori and colonial history. This is Gisborne’s arts hub, with rotating exhibits and excellent historic photographic displays. There's also a maritime wing, with displays on waka (canoes), whaling and Cook’s Poverty Bay, although these pale in comparison to the vintage surfboard collection. There’s also a shop and a park-view cafe. Outside is the immaculately reconstructed Wyllie Cottage (1872), Gisborne’s oldest house – a fascinating window into old-time domestic life.