Once a service town for the nearby hydroelectric power station, Turangi’s claim to fame nowadays is undoubtedly its fish, for which it proclaims itself ‘Trout Fishing Capital of the World’. The Tongariro River, however, can be enjoyed in many other ways, including white-water rafting and swimming. The township provides ready access to the ski-fields and walking tracks of Tongariro National Park.
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The North Island is dominated by volcanic-cone skiing. Rumbling Mt Ruapehu in Tongariro National Park is the premier ski zone.
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Named for nearby Tongariro National Park, this tiny outpost lies at the junction of SH4 and SH47, 15km from the hub of Whakapapa Village. In ski season the township is packed, but in summer it’s sleepy – despite being a great base for activities in and around the park.
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Don’t think for a minute that this plateau is some boring old elevated flat landmass (which is what the dictionary will tell you), because this place rocks. For a starter, it ain’t flat. In the middle of the plateau and the heart of Tongariro National Park are the three massive peaks of Tongariro, Ruapehu and Ngauruhoe, all sitting like something from another planet. Then there’s New Zealand’s largest lake, Taupo, a vast, water-filled crater, the legacy of a volcanic blast that shattered the island and shook up the world more than 26, 500 years ago. And the area is still active, with Mt Ruapehu often having a hissy fit, the last blast in 2007. This is all part of the Taupo Volcanic Zone, a line of geothermal surfacings that stretches to White Island via Rotorua.
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The increasingly exciting town of Taupo now rivals Rotorua as the North Island’s adrenaline capital, with an abundance of skydiving, jetboating and bungy jumping to get your blood pumping. There’s lots of fun to be had in the town itself, more on its fringes, and still more just a little further afield, such as the lost world of Orakei Korakei, an hour’s drive away.
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Expect to see carrots crop up all over Ohakune, for this is the country’s carrot capital. Not only do they creep into burgers and pop up on pizzas, they litter the roadside in season. The world’s largest ever carrot, in fact, grown in the area, was preserved and now sits at the entrance to town. To learn more (and you know you want to), why not visit during July’s annual Carrot Festival?
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NZ’s largest lake, Lake Taupo, sits in the caldera of a volcano which 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 surrounding area is still volcanically active and, like Rotorua, has fascinating thermal areas.
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