"The Trout Fishing region" Taupo Region by Ramonq

This is a pleasant little lakeside town with beautiful surroundings. Located in the northern end of Lake Taupo, southern hemisphere's largest lake, the town has a great view of the pristine blue lake and the snowcapped volcanic mountain on the other side of the lake. Taupo is big on adventurous outdoor activities such as jet skiing, bungy jumping, skydiving, para-gliding and all those extreme sports that Kiwis, also known as New Zealanders, seem never to get enough of.

The spotless town of Taupo appears fairly new and modern. It is a low rise town and many of its buildings were built fairly recently. The tree-lined roads are very wide, clean and well maintained. Taupo appears like one of those quiet Kiwi country towns where life is laid back and uncomplicated. And this is why many of its citizens have settled here. The clean air and the beautiful surroundings are the main reason the settlers have decided to move to this small town. It also has a great lakeside promenade with lots of pubs and restaurants overlooking the lake. I spent a lot of time around there and just sat back to enjoy the relaxing scenery.

Looks can be deceiving as Taupo's seemingly calm surroundings has a very violent natural history. The lake itself is actually a huge crater of a dormant volcano which once erupted so violently thousands of years ago, that it formed a caldera, which in turn was filled with water and formed into the lake. In the southern region of the lake, rises many active volcanoes which can be seen from the town of Taupo. On a clear day, one can see the majestic volcanoes from the town's lakeside promenade and in the colder months, these volcanoes are capped with snow which makes the view more fantastic.

The tallest mountain in the North Island is Mt. Ruapehu which is an active volcano that violently erupted in the mid 1990's. Next to it is another active volcano which is the conical Mt Ngaruhoe. This volcano looks lethal that it was used as the scene for Mount Doom for the Lord of the Rings movie. It hasn't erupted for many years now, so its eruption may be due soon. Then there's Mount Tongariro and its crossing is dubbed as New Zealand's greatest one-day trek where one can see awesome sceneries that differ after each hour of trekking.

The Taupo region is blessed with pristine lakes, rivers and streams that are surrounded by beautiful rainforests and pine trees. It truly is an ideal place to do some trekking and enjoy the crisp Alpine atmosphere. It's the closest the North Island can get to match the magnificent beauty of the NZ's mountainous South Island. So if you don't have enough time to explore the South Island, then this is the place to visit in New Zealand.

New Zealanders are an adventurous outdoorsy types and they have developed a vibrant tourism industry around many seemingly foolhardy outdoor activities, such as bungy jumping and tandem skydiving. For the lazy ones, there's trout fishing and the Taupo region's sparkling streams and lakes are famous in New Zealand for its trout. And for those with money to burn, you can fly above the mountains or paraglide in the lake.

There are also many treks around the Taupo region, mainly around the mountain areas and they offer spectacular views of the volcanic regions. Around the Ruapehu mountains, one can observe where lava and lahar once flowed, and also view newly-formed lakes as a result of volcanic eruptions. The rawness of the land is certainly the Taupo regions main drawcard.

Elegant Grand Chateau

There are so many activities to choose from in the Taupo region that sometimes I felt that I've missed out on those that I did not consider because of the expenses. Surely, I'd love to fly over Mount Ruapehu or sail across the lake if I had more disposable money, but I was still quite contented with the activities I have chosen. The treks were gruelling and exhausting but it was well worth it. And it's value for money too because it's free to walk around the National Parks! The only cost is the transportation to get there.

• Pros:Raw but beautiful nature
• Cons:Can eat up your budget with all the activities
• In a nutshell:Outdoor Activities Galore