---
author: "Robert Pearce"
authorTwitter: "@RobertWPearce"
date: "2020-01-05"
desc: "Things to do and see in Taupō, New Zealand."
image: "/images/tongariro.jpg"
keywords: "taupo, lake taupo, taupō, tongariro alpine crossing, new zealand"
photoCredit: "robertwpearce"
photoWebsite: "https://www.instagram.com/robertwpearce"
title: "Taupō"
---

Things to do and see in and around Taupō in New Zealand.

Or go back to the [main New Zealand index](/new-zealand/index.html).

## Food / Drink
There are plenty of places to eat and drink in Taupō, but there is only one
place that we go back to over and over, and it is the simplest, cheapest and
best takeaway in Taupō: [Eurasia Gourmet Take
Away](https://goo.gl/maps/ptmfuZBqXrm7XrMe6). Don't forget to order fried
pineapple rings!

## Activities / Things To See
* Huka Falls: https://goo.gl/maps/6WmqHajnC3CL2tFa8
  * Touristy for a minute, but a must-do. We recommend starting your Huka Falls
  walk somewhere else on the river and then ending up at Huka Falls. For
  example, the [Huka Falls Walkway](https://goo.gl/maps/1CMr9hqdrUmhtPAaA)
  starts at the Spa Thermal Park and goes all the way up to Huka Falls (it's a
  long walk).
* Spa Thermal Park & Hot Pools: https://goo.gl/maps/CsKjYsYZqr5B1UkP6
  * Take your togs and walk across a park to relax in this geothermally heated
  area that feeds into the Waikato River.
  * Parking: https://goo.gl/maps/JqyeFqr5P66yUYyU9
* Acacia Bay: https://goo.gl/maps/w7rKnJA9BYugxfB36
  * Great place to chill and swim. You park next to what look to be redwood
  trees or some kind of giant pines, if I recall correctly.
* Rangatira Point Walking Track: https://goo.gl/maps/kbrEEG9WWeZw8Qpt6
  * Legit bush walk next to the lake. Don't let the cicadas scare you away if
  it's late January.
* Mine Bay Māori Rock Carvings: https://goo.gl/maps/b4mFuCaYK5AZG7e38
* Craters of the Moon: https://goo.gl/maps/QoZNKCM87JkBpuGYA
  * Touristy but still cool and here if you're into geothermal activity.
* Tongariro Alpine Crossing: https://www.tongarirocrossing.org.nz
  * Surreal and stunning 19km hike up a mountain, through bush, over a volcano
  with the brightest coloured lakes and weirdest coloured rocks you've ever
  seen, and down through bush again.
  * Make sure you go number 2 before you begin this early morning trek.

## Between Taupō & Rotorua
* Orakei Korako Geothermal Park: https://goo.gl/maps/prM372HM3pXYpz6p9
* Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland: https://g.page/waiotapunz?share
