Hotels in Taupō

Taupō sits on the north-eastern shore of Lake Taupō, New Zealand's largest freshwater lake and the flooded caldera of one of the most powerful volcanoes on Earth. The town is the natural halfway point of the North Island, roughly four hours by road from both Auckland and Wellington, and its lakefront looks straight across the water to the snow-dusted peaks of Tongariro National Park.

The landscape around town is still visibly alive. The Waikato River leaves the lake and squeezes through a narrow gorge at Huka Falls, steam drifts out of cracks in the ground at Craters of the Moon, and the geothermal field at Wairakei feeds one of the world's oldest geothermal power stations. Free natural hot pools, mountain-bike trails through pine forest and some of the country's best trout fishing are all within a short drive of the centre.

Taupō itself is compact and easy-going: a few walkable blocks of cafés, bars and outdoor shops behind a long lakefront reserve, with motels, holiday parks and lake-view lodges spread along the shore. Most visitors use it as a base for skydiving, volcanic day hikes such as the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, and winter skiing on Mount Ruapehu, then come back in summer for the lake's beaches, boat trips and long evenings on the water.