Awapuni School, Gisborne

Special places in Gisborne

Captain Cook Memorials

Gisborne was the first place in New Zealand that Captain Cook came to. There are many memorials to him here.

Cook landing site

This is the landing site where Captain Cook first set foot on New Zealand soil. There were already four Māori tribes living here when he came.

When they wanted to put up this monument each school child in the country had to give one penny to pay for the cost of it. Local people say that this site is important and they think that it should be made into a special heritage site.

Cook statue

This is the statue of Captain Cook. He's standing on a representation of half of the world. On the back there are drawings of his voyages. This one is near Waikanae Beach across the harbour from the landing site.

The Endeavour

This is a model of Cook's ship Endeavour. It sits above a roundabout in Gladstone Road which is the main street. Another of these sits at the entrance way to the town.

The 'Crook Cook'

This statue was bought to Gisborne from Auckland and was given to the city by a brewery. They thought it was Captain Cook but then one person went and closely looked at this statue and realised that it wasn't Captain Cook at all. It was an Italian sea man. People call him the "Crook Cook." The Councillors had a vote about whether to get rid of him but they decided to let him stay as lots of people went and looked at him anyway.

Statue of Nicholas Young

This statue was presented by the New Zealand Insurance Company. It is of Nicholas Young who was the first to see land from aboard Captain Cook's ship the Endeavour on 7 October 1769. He is pointing toward Young Nick's Head, which is a piece of land that Captain Cook named after him.

By Shannen and Lauren.