"Lake Taupo...Think Fresh" a Lake Taupo Travel Page by wkcsmt

Lake Taupo township is located midway between Auckland & Wellington on State Highway 1.

Lake Taupo itself was the result of the most violent volcanic eruption the world has seen in the past 5,000 years - the ash affected the sunsets as far away as Europe and China. Today, what remains is a lake the size of Singapore Island (@ 616 square kilometres). The lake's attractive silvery-grey sand beaches give it the appearance of an inland ocean.

Lake Taupo region in NZ's volcanic heartland is rich in Maori tradition. It also has some of the country’s finest untouched, uncrowded and unique landscapes. The Maori legend explains the lake in a different way: When Ngatoirangi, the chief tohunga (priest) of the Arawa people, first saw the region he was dismayed to find a barren basin. Realising his people needed resources to live, he plucked a large totara tree and hurled it into the crater to seed a new forest. His aim was true, but the wind flipped the totara and it landed upside down, piercing the ground with its branches. Water gushed up through the holes, filling the basin and creating Lake Taupo.

Here's some of the things that you can do in this region: why not sky dive (the largest tandem skydiving drop zone in the world) over the largest fresh water lake in Australasia, 4WD on volcanic farm land, ski on an active volcano (see Whakapapa page) or bungy jump over NZ’s longest river... For a more relaxing holiday, try your hand at some of the best trout fishing in the world (you'll need a fishing license), take a cruise to the famous Maori Rock carvings, indulge in boutique shopping, find a beach & relax...

Been here several times over a period of 8 years, but mostly on a day trip. Will try to recall my trips here as I build up this page... could be bit of a challenge to dig out photos from those trips, so bear with me...