-	All photographs of Taupo

Lake Taupo, in the centre of the North Island, is the largest lake in New Zealand. Nestled on its north-eastern shore is Taupo, a charming lake-side town, which is also a service town to a forestry and farming community and a thriving tourist industry. Taupo has it all, a beautiful lake and rivers teeming with trout, its perfect for all water activities. At the south end of the lake is the Tongariro National Park with its three volcanoes and two commercial ski fields; Turoa and Whakapapa. There is plenty of geothermal activity here too. Oraki Korako has plopping mud and boiling water cascading over sulphur terraces, its well worth a visit. Craters of the moon is another geothermal spectacle, and on the opposite side of the State Highway 1 is the world famous Huka falls. At the end of the day you can unwind with a dip in a mineral hot pool.

Lake Taupo was created by a massive volcanic eruption 27,000 years ago. It has exploded 28 times since then. The most recent explosion was in the year 180 ad, known as the Hatepe eruption. It was the largest volcanic eruption in the world in the last 5000 years, the red ash in the sky was recorded in China and Rome at the time. The eruption ejected 30 cubic km of volcanic material in the space of a few minutes, changing the North Island’s landscape for evermore. The lake is what’s left of the crater, but the volcano is not extinct, its only sitting dormant. Mount Ruapehu at the south end of the lake roared back to life again in 1995 billowing ash, smoke and hurling boulders the size of small busses skyward for a week or so. Some people see it as only a coincidence that this happened almost immediately after the French government’s last underground nuclear test at the nearby Moreroa Atol.

The lakes full name is Taupo nui a Tia, which means "The great cloak of Tia". Tia, being the first Maori to find the place. Maori settlement of the Taupo region took place about 700 years ago, when Ngatoroirangi led his tribe, the Ngati Tuwharetoa, to the area. However, due to the many volcanic eruptions, the soil was unfertile, the winters were harsh, and the lake didn’t have any fish until the pakehas arrived almost 600 years later, so times were tough for them. However the Ngati Tuwharetoa tribe survived and built Pa sites at the more fertile end of the lake at Pukawa, Waitahnui, Te Rapa and Motutere.

Today Taupo is world renowned for its trout fishing in the lake and rivers, and with good cause too. But Taupo’s activity list doesn’t stop there, it’s a popular ski destination, there are adventure activities on offer including sky diving, Bungy jumping, jet boat tours or river cruises to the foot of Huka Falls. The region has many walking and hiking tracks especially in the Tongarero Natioal Park, Poreora and Kaimanawa state forests. There is geothermal activity at Wairaki, Oraki Korako and Craters of the moon. Taupo is home to some fine golf courses, go try your luck at the hole in one competition along the lake front. You will also find plenty of options to go mountain biking, horse trekking, 4 wheel driving or a relaxing cruise on the lake.

There is a wide range of accommodation in Taupo. There are hundreds of hotels and motels throughout the town. There are lots of holiday houses in town and around the lake for rent. You will find the backpackers hostels situated near the town centre and some nice camping grounds along the lakeside.