Egregiously under-rated as a destination charmer, Gore is your classic New Zealand town with a stout and golden-hearted community spirit, bustling town centre brimming with surprises and welcoming locals who are instinctively hospitable — no finishing school required.
Hokonui Moonshine Museum.
First up, I made my way to Hokonui Moonshine Museum which isthe subject of an ambitious multimillion-dollar upgrade, known as the Maruawai Project.
Gore District Arts and Heritage curator, Jim Geddes, is a walking cultural powerhouse and shared with me the exciting plans to refresh the city's cultural heart. The redeveloped museum and new distillery will offer a much more immersive and interactive encounter with Gore's storied history with illicit grog in the Hokonui Hills.
If you've seen the museum's pre-existing dioramas, audio-visuals and artefacts, it's about to be vividly enhanced. Be sure to savour a taste of Old Hokonui, made to the original recipe, as part of your visit — and definitely stock up on some bottles for enjoyment back home! The museum also does a sterling job in paying homage to "The Story of Sgt Dan" which celebrates the contribution of breakfast cereal, the Fleming family and their landmark Creamoata factory to the Gore story.
Today, the towering building that produced the breakfast cereal is still churning out feed — for livestock, operated by Sergeant Dan Stockfoods.
Welcome to Gore, home to world-famous brown trout fishing.
Directly across the road from the museum is Gore's astonishing tractor-beam for art-lovers, the Eastern Southland Gallery.
Dubbed the "Goreeggenheim", this national ark of priceless art lures many an Aucklander to town, simply to visit this gallery. Why? It houses the international art collection of Dr John Money who was Janet Frame's life-long friend and ally.
Based in Baltimore, he was a passionate New Zealand art collector, becoming a patron of Rita Angus and Theo Schoon, amongst others. Money bequeathed his 300-strong collection of pieces to Gore and inspired by his benevolence, a variety of New Zealand artists, including Ralph Hotere, have given works.
This stirring gallery features 60 pieces by Hotere, hence why it's cultivated such a red-hot reputation on the art map.
Money had a tendency of not buying any further works off an artist once they had become successful.
Croydon Aviation Centre.
An absolute must is to stake out the evocative collection of classic aircraft at the Croydon Aviation Museum.
Warmly greeted by the delightful Maeva Smith, this gem of a museum in bucolic Mandeville is eye-popping. Ever fancied taking a thrills and spills joyride in a Tiger Moth, complete with barrel rolls? Full of whisky and hearty Southern fare, I chickened out for fear I may have a mid-air chuck but I was more than happy to watch.
The Smiths' aviation restoration workshop and museum boasts a staggering assortment of vintage aircraft that are nearly all air-worthy. Keeping your feet on the ground, you can admire the bare wooden bones of planes being restored, perfectly laminated propellers, an airworthy replica of Bert Pither's 1910 homemade monoplane on its bicycle wheels, a Dragonfly, more Tiger Moths, and a Percival Proctor, as flown by Jean Batten. The Smiths are dedicated to preserving and celebrating New Zealand's civil aviation heritage.
Steam train at Croydon Aviation.
I loved gazing over the old Mount Cook Airlines scenic aircraft, venerable old workhorses from the NAC era and the rather startling sight of an Aermacchi Training Jet, which they snapped up when the air force decommissioned its strike capability. Gore is well armed! Also on site, check out a railways veteran, the 140-year-old Rogers K92 Steam Train, which still operates scenic trips. This train was a Kingston Flyer, tripping between Invercargill and Kingston to connect with the Earnslaw.
View from The Reservation.
Just 3km from Main Street, The Reservation Gore is a superlative B&B, perched on the hillside, just west of central Gore.
You'll find yourself catching your breath at the angelic panorama across the town and rolling landscape. Your delightful hosts are Jayne and Bruce Moffatt who are as heartland Gore as you get. Plus, you'll probably meet 57-year-old, Bart, a highly loquacious sulphur-crested cockatoo who sure knows how to command an audience!
Home to the Gold Guitars, world-famous brown trout fishing and world-class art, plucky Gore absolutely punches above its weight.
