Booked sometime out - unfortunately, our stay coincided with a major 2023 storm event for Gisborne. We watched to see if the weather would improve to the last minute (it did not!) before starting our family holiday and this caused us to leave it 24 hours too late to cancel without penalty (with the host pointing to the cancellation policy). On arrival, Gisborne was very bleak & wet, with the region on a verge of a state of emergency, and the beach closed due to water contamination. Not a great family holiday at all. We reduced our stay to two nights (down from five) in negotiation with the host. We had to drive home through the Waioeka Gorge road through Whakatane as the south SH2 route through Wairoa was closed due to slips adding 3 hours to our return journey home. During our last night at the apartment, the ferocity of the storm caused a leak though the wall and window of the front bedroom (which we notified to the host). Quite an experience!