Lake Taupo
Welcome to Lake Taupo
The insider's travel guide to Lake TaupoVast Lake Taupo is as big as Singapore and was created 2,000 years ago from a volcanic eruption so huge it would have been seen from China.
Today, visitors come for the magnificent Huka Falls, Maori rock carvings and watersports. Lake Taupo is also an excellent base for exploring nearby Tongariro National Park, including the Tongariro Alpine Crossing day hike and skiing at Whakapapa.
The Lake Taupo atlas
8 picks Places & Experiences You Won't Find Elsewhere-
Take the easy one-hour trail from Spa Park to Huka Falls to witness the roaring Waikato Ricer plunge 11 metres over volcanic rock. The trail passes through forest and offers several viewing points of the Falls.
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Go on a day-hike across the eery volcanic landscape of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. Sprinkled with emerald lakes and soda springs, the 21km trail, which takes around seven hours to complete, winds around active volcanoes and features panoramic views across the harsh rocky terrain.
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Enjoy a relaxing paddle in the crystal clear waters of Lake Taupo and explore the mysterious Maori rock carvings at Mine Bay, which can only be viewed from the water. The surrounding forests are also great for hiking and just north of Taupo you'll find the spectacular Huka Falls.
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Fly into cosmopolitan Auckland to begin your New Zealand trip, before heading south past Hamilton to Lake Taupo, where you’ll stay for three days. From here, you can drive a couple of hours to Waitomo Caves, where you can take a candlelit tour through Footwhistle Cave seeing thousands of glowworms. Spend a day exploring the hiking trails around Lake Taupo or kayak to the Mine Bay Maori rock carvings, and another seeing the magnificent Huka Falls. Fly from Taupo to Blenheim, then transfer to Marlborough Sounds for a couple of days. Hike or bike part of the Queen Charlotte Track, a 71km trail through glistening bays, forests and coves, and spend a second day on the water in a kayak, where you can see seals, dolphins and even orcas. Transfer to the small town of Kaikoura for whale-watching, hikes up Mount Fyffe and New Zealand’s best seafood, before ending in adventure capital Queenstown, where you can take a day trip to Milford Sound for a cruise through its unspoilt valleys.
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Start in Auckland on the north island with a world-class cup of coffee and pick up your vehicle, before taking the short ferry journey across to Waiheke Island for sea views and excellent wine. Drive to the vast Lake Taupo, created more than 2,000 years ago from a volcanic eruption, to experience the fury of the Huka Falls and to see the eerie glowworms at the Waitomo Caves, before stopping for a few days in wine country, beginning at Hawke’s Bay. Hire a bike, pedal to a few vineyards and sample some wines. Fly from Napier to Christchurch on the south island and hire another vehicle, before heading inland to Arthur’s Pass National Park for a stunning drive taking in winding roads, river gorges and rainforests. Drive to Aoraki Mount Cook National Park for a once-in-a-lifetime helicopter ride to the Tasman Glacier, before heading back to city life in adventure capital Queenstown for bungy jumping, ziplining or just relaxing on the beach.
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Start in Auckland and begin your Lord of the Rings adventure by travelling to Rotarua where you can explore Maori culture and sulphuric geysers, before touring the Hobbiton Movie Set. Head to Lake Taupo to see the amazing Huka Falls before travelling into Tongariro National Park, location for Mordor and Mount Doom. Transfer to Wellington for a taste of city life – and a visit to the Weta Workshop – before a whistlestop tour through New Zealand’s south island, including the scenery in Nelson, a helicopter tour from Kaikoura over locations for Rivendell and Mines of Moria, Lake Heron for a stay in a sheep station and Lake Tekapo for kayaking, hot springs and stargazing – and the location for Edoras. Travel to Queenstown where you can tour locations used for Minas Tirith, the Misty Mountains and Isengard. Cruise on Milford Sound to see dolphins and penguins, before ending back in Queenstown for adventure activities like bungy jumping and ziplining.
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Start your trip in New Zealand’s biggest city Auckland with a trip to the Sky Tower for views over the city. From here, it’s a short journey to the Coromandel and on to Raglan for a mix of pristine beaches and secluded coves, where you can sea kayak, swim or simply explore. Next, visit the hot springs and sulphuric mud pools of Rotorua, taking in Maori culture and food, before travelling to the vast Lake Taupo for the Huka Waterfalls and Maori rock carvings. This is also an excellent base for exploring Tongariro National Park. End your North Island trip in cultured Wellington, home to excellent craft beer and coffee.
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At opposite ends of the North Island, New Zealand’s two largest cities are separated by gorgeous beaches, geothermal features, volcanic plateaus, and wildlife reserves. This route between Auckland and Wellington covers some North Island highlights.Starting in Auckland, loop southeast and up to the Coromandel Peninsula. The Coromandel Ranges run through the centre of the peninsula, and around the coastline are bays, beaches, and marine reserves.You may want to stop for a day or two in Tauranga, a dolphin-watching hot spot before continuing onto Rotorua This hub of Maori culture set on a large lake is dotted with steaming vents, spurting geysers, and bubbling mud pools. An even larger lake, Taupo, is an hour’s drive south-west. In Taupo, spend time boating or kayaking on the lake.Spend three days hiking and exploring volcanoes in Tongariro National Park then continue south, stopping for a day on the Kapiti Coast and Kapiti Island before spending your last couple of days in the proudly artsy capital, Wellington.
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Hike Spa Park to Huka Falls
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Tackle the 21km Tongariro Alpine Crossing
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Kayak around Lake Taupo
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New Zealand wildlife and waterways
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New Zealand self drive
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New Zealand Lord of the Rings route
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Northern adventure route
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Auckland to Wellington Road Trip
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