Discover Gore & More

Gore District boasts an eclectic mix of industry, heritage, and culture. Starting with Gore Maruawai … welcome to the home of country music in Aotearoa New Zealand, and the brown trout capital of the world! If you enter through Gore’s northern entrance, you will be greeted by a massive sculpture of a brown trout.

The town is known for its connection to country music because it has been hosting the annual country music awards for 36 years. It has an impressive multi-sports complex, that offers sporting and fitness activities and events all year round. The Gore Multisport Complex comprises an ice rink, an aquatic centre, and an indoor sports stadium.

Would you like to take a cheeky trip to an illicit past? The Hokonui Moonshine Museum will take you there! The museum will introduce you to the McRae family who arrived from the western Highlands of Scotland and decided to settle in the small town. The matriarch of the McRae clan brought her copper brass whisky still from Scotland and that was how the illegal bootlegging started! To find out the full story, you will have to take a trip to the museum. Gore Historical Museum and Hokonui Pioneer Village and Museum should also be on your must-explore list.

Gore is situated on the banks of the Mataura River and is nestled under the Hokonui Hills. The Mataura River is probably every fisherman’s dream, as it is internationally renowned for brown trout fly-fishing. The activity has been popular in the area since the 1870s with many fishermen also offering guided tours to share their fishing spots and techniques with visitors

In Mandeville, you will get the chance to view a striking collection of vintage aircraft. The golden age of flight can be relived at the Croydon Aviation Heritage Centre. The nationally significant museum is dedicated to preserving and celebrating Aotearoa New Zealand’s civil aviation heritage. Mandeville hosts an annual event called the Mandeville Fly In and Steam Festival. The event features steam trains, aircraft, traction engines, vintage cars and more.

The peaceful settlement of Wyndham Mokoreta is home to the tranquil Maple Glen Gardens. It was started in a curving valley in the early 1970s. The property has a private garden, aviary, nursery, woodland and wetland. You will also find many large ponds that have been dug up there. The garden is filled with snowdrops, daffodils, bluebells and so much more! You name a plant; it will likely be growing there.

Gore & More Activities

Maruawai Gore is Southland’s second largest town and lies on the banks of the Mataura River. With nearly 150km of easily accessible waters that are internationally renowned for brown trout fly-fishing, it’s no wonder Gore is now known as the “Brown Trout Capital of the World”! Alongside fantastic fishing, culture and heritage draw a crowd to the rural town. Maruawai Gore is famous for its country music, illicit whisky making and is also a growing hub for the arts. For those who want to get more off the beaten track, Murihiku Southland has a wide range of activities to explore.