Taupo brings back great memories for us. It was one of the two places on our trip where we could stick around in a single location for a one week period minimally. It was the Christmas season and we had a wonderful bach (holiday home) to stay in. We spent most of the 7 day within the immediate surroundings of Lake Taupo waterfront where we did kayaking and swam.
What's Taupo Like
I'd describe Taupo as a generally touristy town where you get both Kiwis and tourists who want a place to chill out. You actually get traffic jams leading to town and crossing on foot across Lake Terrace can be quite a challenge. Geologically, Lake Taupo is the largest lake in New Zealand and is located within the caldera of the Taupo Volcano. That is really saying something 'cos the size of the lake (616 sq km) can fit the entire Singapore island of the 1960s.
So let's get onto our trip proper:
Day 44
Distance traveled: 352km (5h 2 min)
Greytown to Taupo Journey
The journey to Taupo was one of our longest day road trips where we could admire dramatically different landscapes. We grabbed a takeaway lunch and a full tank from Masterton and drove a very long straight stretches of SH2 until Woodville. The SH3 led to a valley of the Manawatu River then Google Maps suggested we go by the fields of Colyton Road / SH54 where we navigated some really windy mountain roads after Stormy Point Lookout. Once we hit SH1, we could really push the accelerator as there were delightfully long two-lane stretches. We hit some desolate desert landscapes around the Tongariro area before opening up to Lake Taupo.
The Lakeside Villas (Accommodation)
The Lakeside Villas (read the review here) would be our lodging for the next 7 nights.
Siam Thai Street Food Cafe (Restaurant)
Now there were not many places open around 8pm. Thankfully, we tried this Thai place. We did a takeaway and we were real hungry so we gobbled down the very decent green curry and tom yam soup available.
Day 45
Pak'nSave Taupo (Supermarket)
Today was X'mas Eve so we made it a point to stock up at Pak'nSave. The crowd inside was crazy. I don't know if it was Christmas or whether it was the norm for Taupo. Either way, we had not experienced such crowds in any supermarket every since we stepped foot in New Zealand.
After the long road trip, today was about enjoying our bach and having a nice X'mas Eve dinner. My wife cooked up some good steak and we had some Jacob's Creek Sparkling Rose to top it off :)
Day 46
Huka Falls (Place to visit - Free)
This is supposedly the most visited attraction in New Zealand, according to some brochures. There are gallons of water rushing down from Lake Taupo. To be precise, there are 200,000 liters of water plunging 9 meters down the falls every second.
It's a might majestic falls to look at. As you can see below, there are a ton of tourists that frequent the place. If you look carefully, you see a kayak. That's because you can pay to kayak down this stretch. It's adrenaline inducing stuff.
We popped by the Aratiatia Rapids too but missed the opening of the dam. I'll talk more about this below.
Day 47
Kayaking at Lake Taupo (Free for us!)
This was a rest and relax day for us. We could get a kayak from our resort at no extra charge. The tricky (and fun) part was figuring out how to attach the kayak trolley on the underside and pulling it across Lake Terrace with an incessant flow of cars moving in both directions. After a few minutes of waiting, we finally managed to halt traffic and swing the kayak across. It almost fell off as we were navigating the kerbs but whew, we were good once we crossed.
At the waterfront, you have to wait for the right time to pull the kayak into Lake Taupo. Too many waves and the kayak gets pushed to shore. If it's a nice and sunny day, it helps lots. As you can see, we got lucky as there were other folks swimming and doing other water activities.
Day 48
Taupo i-Site Visitor Information Centre (Place to Visit - Free)
Like most i-Site kiosks around New Zealand, this is a great place to get information on destinations you will be heading to. We booked the trip for Orakei Korako over here. At the same time, it's located right at the Tongariro Domain where there are loads of things to do. The Taupo Museum (Paid Entrance), Rose Gardens (Free) and a mighty nice playground are all within the vicinity.
Day 49
Orakei Korako (Place to Visit)
Distance from Taupo: 83km
Price - Adult ($32.40) / Child 6-16 ($13.50) / Infant (Free) (prices after 10% online discount)
Address - 494 Orakeikorako Road, Taupo 3083
Opening Hours - 8am-4pm (last ferry trip)
Since Taupo region is a geothermal zone, it makes good sense to visit something of volcanic nature like geysers, mud springs and bubbling hot pools. Orakei Korako is a great candidate - an attraction not to be missed 'cos it's so unique. Upon reaching the car park, you have to take a ferry across the river to kickstart your visit.
The multicolored Rainbow and Cascade terraces immediately catch your eye. Now those who know a bit of history about Taupo probably know of the Pink and White Terraces that were unfortunately destroyed in the Mount Tarawera explosion in 1886. Orakei Korako is supposedly not as grand but it will give you an idea what you could have witnessed if those other terraces were still around.
Although it's recommended that you can finish the tour (by following the arrows) in 90 minutes, we spent about 2.5 hours walking around soaking in the sights. It was incredibly hot that day so we headed to...
Mudcake Cafe (Restaurant)
Opening Hours - 8.30am-4.30pm
This is where we had a really late lunch. It's the only cafe in the vicinity but you get some decent food there. One highlight is we managed to catch a geyser that was erupting across the Waikato River while munching on our food.
Day 50
Aratiatia Rapids and Dam (Place to visit - Free)
Ah, now we come back to Aratiatia Rapids again. Briefly, the purpose of the dam is to harness the hydroelectric power from Waikato River. This time round, we made sure that we would witness the opening of the dam that lets the water rush out. As you can see below, there are 4 times a day the dam opens. We made it in time for the 2.00PM session.
Here are some before and after shots to give an idea what happens when the dam opens.
Huka Honey Hive (Place to visit - Free)
Address - 65 Karetoto Road, Wairakei 3377
Opening Hours - From 10am
A great place for families to visit. This is a place all about honey. You can view bees in their honeycombs, try samples of different types of honey and even the honey wine (which is from Upper Hutt). Of course, kids will like the random play areas they have around there.
Taupo View Lookout (Place to visit - Free)
This place overlooks Taupo right at the edge of Huka Falls Road. It's a good place just to get out of your car, stretch your legs and smell the roses (sorry, there aren't any here :).
What's Taupo Like
I'd describe Taupo as a generally touristy town where you get both Kiwis and tourists who want a place to chill out. You actually get traffic jams leading to town and crossing on foot across Lake Terrace can be quite a challenge. Geologically, Lake Taupo is the largest lake in New Zealand and is located within the caldera of the Taupo Volcano. That is really saying something 'cos the size of the lake (616 sq km) can fit the entire Singapore island of the 1960s.
So let's get onto our trip proper:
Day 44
Distance traveled: 352km (5h 2 min)
Greytown to Taupo Journey
The journey to Taupo was one of our longest day road trips where we could admire dramatically different landscapes. We grabbed a takeaway lunch and a full tank from Masterton and drove a very long straight stretches of SH2 until Woodville. The SH3 led to a valley of the Manawatu River then Google Maps suggested we go by the fields of Colyton Road / SH54 where we navigated some really windy mountain roads after Stormy Point Lookout. Once we hit SH1, we could really push the accelerator as there were delightfully long two-lane stretches. We hit some desolate desert landscapes around the Tongariro area before opening up to Lake Taupo.
 |
| The view from Stormy Point Lookout |
The Lakeside Villas (Accommodation)
The Lakeside Villas (read the review here) would be our lodging for the next 7 nights.
Siam Thai Street Food Cafe (Restaurant)
Now there were not many places open around 8pm. Thankfully, we tried this Thai place. We did a takeaway and we were real hungry so we gobbled down the very decent green curry and tom yam soup available.
Day 45
Pak'nSave Taupo (Supermarket)
Today was X'mas Eve so we made it a point to stock up at Pak'nSave. The crowd inside was crazy. I don't know if it was Christmas or whether it was the norm for Taupo. Either way, we had not experienced such crowds in any supermarket every since we stepped foot in New Zealand.
After the long road trip, today was about enjoying our bach and having a nice X'mas Eve dinner. My wife cooked up some good steak and we had some Jacob's Creek Sparkling Rose to top it off :)
Day 46
Huka Falls (Place to visit - Free)
This is supposedly the most visited attraction in New Zealand, according to some brochures. There are gallons of water rushing down from Lake Taupo. To be precise, there are 200,000 liters of water plunging 9 meters down the falls every second.
It's a might majestic falls to look at. As you can see below, there are a ton of tourists that frequent the place. If you look carefully, you see a kayak. That's because you can pay to kayak down this stretch. It's adrenaline inducing stuff.
We popped by the Aratiatia Rapids too but missed the opening of the dam. I'll talk more about this below.
Day 47
Kayaking at Lake Taupo (Free for us!)
This was a rest and relax day for us. We could get a kayak from our resort at no extra charge. The tricky (and fun) part was figuring out how to attach the kayak trolley on the underside and pulling it across Lake Terrace with an incessant flow of cars moving in both directions. After a few minutes of waiting, we finally managed to halt traffic and swing the kayak across. It almost fell off as we were navigating the kerbs but whew, we were good once we crossed.
At the waterfront, you have to wait for the right time to pull the kayak into Lake Taupo. Too many waves and the kayak gets pushed to shore. If it's a nice and sunny day, it helps lots. As you can see, we got lucky as there were other folks swimming and doing other water activities.
Day 48
Taupo i-Site Visitor Information Centre (Place to Visit - Free)
Like most i-Site kiosks around New Zealand, this is a great place to get information on destinations you will be heading to. We booked the trip for Orakei Korako over here. At the same time, it's located right at the Tongariro Domain where there are loads of things to do. The Taupo Museum (Paid Entrance), Rose Gardens (Free) and a mighty nice playground are all within the vicinity.
Day 49
Orakei Korako (Place to Visit)
Distance from Taupo: 83km
Price - Adult ($32.40) / Child 6-16 ($13.50) / Infant (Free) (prices after 10% online discount)
Address - 494 Orakeikorako Road, Taupo 3083
Opening Hours - 8am-4pm (last ferry trip)
Since Taupo region is a geothermal zone, it makes good sense to visit something of volcanic nature like geysers, mud springs and bubbling hot pools. Orakei Korako is a great candidate - an attraction not to be missed 'cos it's so unique. Upon reaching the car park, you have to take a ferry across the river to kickstart your visit.
The multicolored Rainbow and Cascade terraces immediately catch your eye. Now those who know a bit of history about Taupo probably know of the Pink and White Terraces that were unfortunately destroyed in the Mount Tarawera explosion in 1886. Orakei Korako is supposedly not as grand but it will give you an idea what you could have witnessed if those other terraces were still around.
Although it's recommended that you can finish the tour (by following the arrows) in 90 minutes, we spent about 2.5 hours walking around soaking in the sights. It was incredibly hot that day so we headed to...
Mudcake Cafe (Restaurant)
Opening Hours - 8.30am-4.30pm
This is where we had a really late lunch. It's the only cafe in the vicinity but you get some decent food there. One highlight is we managed to catch a geyser that was erupting across the Waikato River while munching on our food.
Day 50
Aratiatia Rapids and Dam (Place to visit - Free)
Ah, now we come back to Aratiatia Rapids again. Briefly, the purpose of the dam is to harness the hydroelectric power from Waikato River. This time round, we made sure that we would witness the opening of the dam that lets the water rush out. As you can see below, there are 4 times a day the dam opens. We made it in time for the 2.00PM session.
Here are some before and after shots to give an idea what happens when the dam opens.
 |
| Before Opening |
 |
| After Opening |
 |
| Before the dam opens |
 |
| After the dam opens |
Huka Honey Hive (Place to visit - Free)
Address - 65 Karetoto Road, Wairakei 3377
Opening Hours - From 10am
A great place for families to visit. This is a place all about honey. You can view bees in their honeycombs, try samples of different types of honey and even the honey wine (which is from Upper Hutt). Of course, kids will like the random play areas they have around there.
Taupo View Lookout (Place to visit - Free)
This place overlooks Taupo right at the edge of Huka Falls Road. It's a good place just to get out of your car, stretch your legs and smell the roses (sorry, there aren't any here :).
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