Gore

Gore has three identities and commits to all of them. It calls itself the world capital of brown trout fishing, on the strength of the Mataura River running through it, which is a genuinely well-regarded fishery for wild browns and a mayfly hatch that anglers travel for; a large trout statue on the main road makes the claim explicit. It is also the home of New Zealand country music: the Gold Guitar Awards have run here since 1974 and fill the town for a week around Queen's Birthday weekend in late May. And it has a moonshine history - during the years when the surrounding district was legally dry, illicit whisky distilling in the Hokonui Hills became a local industry, and the Hokonui Moonshine Museum covers it with some relish. The Eastern Southland Gallery holds a nationally significant art collection, including a substantial Ralph Hotere holding, which is unexpected in a town of twelve thousand.

What you actually see

• The Mataura River - the brown trout fishery the town is built on.
• The Gold Guitar Awards - country music week in late May.
• The Hokonui Moonshine Museum - the illicit distilling history.
• Eastern Southland Gallery - a serious art collection, including Hotere.

When to go

October to April for fishing, with a licence required. Late May for the country music week, when accommodation fills. The gallery is open year round.

Honest expectations

Fishing needs a licence and, for the good water, local knowledge or a guide. The town is a working service centre rather than a destination. Country music week books out accommodation across the district.

Nearby

Invercargill is south-west; the Catlins are south-east.