Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TRAIN
plorer
services stop at National Park, Ohakune and Taihape on the Auckland--
Hamilton-Palmerston North-Wellington route.
ESSENTIAL TAUPO &
THE CENTRAL PLATEAU
Eat
Trout; but you'll have to catch it first!
Drink
A mouthful of water from the Waikato River as you bungy over it
Read
Awesome Forcesby Hamish Campbell and Geoff Hicks - the geological story
of NZ in explosive detail
Listen to
The sonorous chirruping of tui along the Tongariro River Trail
Watch
The Lord of the Ringsand The Hobbitmovies, and spot Tongariro's movie-
star mountains
Pedal
Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge
Explore
Tongariro National Park's alpine flora and geological oddities
Area code
07
LAKE TAUPO REGION
NZ's largest lake, Lake Taupo, sits in the caldera of a volcano that began erupting about
300,000 years ago. The caldera was formed by a collapse during the Oruanui eruption
about 26,500 years ago, which threw out 750 cu km of ash and pumice, making Krakatoa
(8 cu km) look like a pimple.
The last major cataclysm was in AD 180, shooting up enough ash into the atmosphere
for the red skies to be noted by the ancient Romans and Chinese. The area is still volcan-
ically active and, like Rotorua, has fascinating thermal hot spots.
Today the 622-sq-km lake and its surrounding waterways are serene enough to attract
fishing enthusiasts from all around the world. Well positioned by the lake, both Taupo
and Turangi are popular tourist centres. Taupo, in particular, has plenty of activities and
facilities catering to families and independent travellers alike.
