Itineraries

Things to do in the Taupo Region

The locals love this place because of its relaxed pace of life and the wide range of activities on offer.

Taupo is a vibrant community with a buzzing café and restaurant scene, varied nightlife and some great pubs and lounge bars. The outdoor lifestyle is second to none here with easy access to the bush, lake and mountains. Time away is about enjoying the simple things in life and Taupo certainly delivers these.

Centrally located on SH1, Lake Taupo covers an area stretching from Orakei Korako in the North, to Tongariro National Park in the South. Here you'll be impressed with the scenery and amazed at the holiday options available. You will find snow capped mountains, Lake Taupo an enormous fresh water lake, pristine native bush, steaming thermal areas and one of the world's only Dual World Heritage Parks. 

Taupo Must Do's

Get out on Lake Taupo and catch a trout - you'd be crazy to come to Taupo and not get out on the lake. Contact the i-Site Visitor Information Centre or see Water Activities.

Visit two of the best vantage points along the Waikato River, Lake Taupo's only water outlet and the longest river in New Zealand, for some serious fast-moving water action. The Huka Falls are the country's most visited natural attraction, and can be visited by rental car, foot, bike, jet-boat, riverboat or helicopter, accessed off SH1. The Aratiatia Rapids are a unique experience - watch as the dam opens daily at 10am, 12pm, 2pm & 4pm - summer, and 10am, 12pm and 4pm - winter. Some must do 'rapid action'. Situated a short distance off SH5.

Soak in a thermal hot pool Choose from one of Taupo's two mineral water pool and aqautic facilities; or stay at one of our many accommodation providers who have their own thermal hot pools.
Fish and chips on the lakefront. Eat alfresco, just like a local. Take in the spectacular views while watching the sun sink behind the mountains.

Lake Taupo is the site of the world's largest eruption in the last 5,000 years. The results of its earth shattering creation can be seen everywhere with active volcanoes, spectacular steaming cliffs, geysers, boiling lakes, bubbling mudpools and floating rocks called pumice. Visit Karapiti (Craters of the Moon), Orakei Korako Thermal Park or any one of the significant geothermal sites in the region.

Tee off in Taupo Taupo is blessed with five golf courses in close proximity, from a nine hole resort course to the world class Wairakei International Golf Course. Enough to keep keen golfers active for at least a week.

Take a ride on the iconic Lions Train  No family holiday in Taupo is complete without taking the littles ones on the train based on the Tongariro South Domain. Operates holidays and weekends.

Mountain Biking

Taupo is building a reputation for conveniently located, good quality coffee stops for mountain bikers. At many exit or entry points to tracks there are options to get that coffee fix. Great for post ride replacement or as an adrenaline pump prior to setting off.
 
The Lake Taupo region has some of New Zealand’s best road and mountain bike tracks, some rate this region's mountain bike trails up there with the best in the world. Try biking the gullies and walking tracks of town or the pine scented exotic forests close by. For the thrill-seeker try heli-biking on the mountain or for the more chilled-out biker enjoy a ride through rolling bush tracks in the pine forest.

Taupo offers over 70 kms of off road tracks ranging from gentle to heart pumping. Many of the tracks follow beautiful bush trails, catching glimpses of the lake, rivers and mountains. Taupo’s biking and cycling options offer something for all ranges of fitness, experience and budget.

For more info and great ideas on how to select the right ride for you go to www.biketaupo.org.nz

Wai-o-tapu Thermal Wonderland

 A visit to the spectacular Wai-o-tapu Thermal wonderland is a must-do for travelers exploring the Taupo region. This is one of New Zealand's most colourful and diverse volcanic areas.You will find innumerable colours of every tint and hue displayed in pools, lakes, craters, steam vents, mineral terraces and even the tracks you walk on. See the Champagne Pool - unique in the world, a fifth of a hectare of bubbling, hissing water, with a beautiful ochre-coloured petrified edge. Just 50 kilometres north of Taupo.

Just 7 kilometres from Wai-o-tapu are the Waikiti Valley thermal pools. Here you will find thermal pools to relax in. Featuring  swimming pools, private spas, garden pools, outdoor tubs, cafe, eco trail and campsite. Waikite Valley is the home of the Te Manaroa Spring, the largest single source of 100% pure boiling water in New Zealand.

Huka Falls

The Huka Falls are the largest falls on the Waikato River, near Taupo in New Zealand's North Island.  They are the most visited natural attraction in New Zealand and just a 5 minute drive from Taupo

The Waikato river is one of New Zealand's longest rivers and it drains into Lake Taupo - the largest freshwater lake in all of Australasia.
At the Huka Falls, the Waikato River which is normally 100m wide, is squeezed through a 20 metre wide gorge and over a 20m drop.

Every second up to 220,000 litres of water gushes through the gorge and shoots out over 8 metres beyond to create a beautful blue/green pool.