Day 10: Places to see on Lake Taupo: Huka Falls, Craters of the Moon - Tongariro
A tour of the places to see on Lake Taupo It is the plan we have today after having a day of the most complete yesterday, which led us to visit Hobbiton and visit the Waitomo Caves, two of the most essential places to see in New Zealand.
Knowing that today's visits will not take us much of the day and that tomorrow will be one of the star days of the trip to New Zealand, in addition to one of the toughest days in Tongariro, we have decided to take the morning with peace of mind, starting the Day at 7 with a good breakfast at Reids Farm Hipapatua, a free camping area that has been our accommodation in Taupo tonight.
And so, at 8:30 in the morning we are already in our camper Jucy ready to start today's route through the places to see on Lake Taupo, approaching Huka Falls, just 2 miles from where we slept.
Remember that if you are interested in making a trip of this type, we recommend you look at the Motorhome Republic page where you can see all the available motorhome options, prices and make the reservation directly.
Huka Falls, one of the places to see on Lake Taupo
These waterfalls, known by the Maori as Kakanui or large foam dough, are located a few kilometers from Lake Taupo, at the place of maximum narrowing of Waikato, the longest river in New Zealand. Due to this phenomenon, the waters fall in an incredible way from 10 meters high, creating a rumble that can be heard even from the parking lot.
If you are lucky enough to come during a clear day with sunshine, you can also enjoy the natural spectacle, the vision of crystal clear turquoise waters, which surprise even the most traveler.
Huka Falls, one of the places to see on Lake Taupo
We recommend you to take a walk in the area, since although from the bridge you have a fantastic perspective, if you move away a little, the views are as interesting or interesting as well as giving you a most pleasant walk, for another of the places to see on Lake Taupo.
Huka falls
Keep in mind that the visit to the Huka Waterfalls will not take you more than 30 minutes, depending on the viewpoints you want to make and access is free. Next to the parking, also free, there is a bathroom and a small kiosk where you can buy water or some food.
After this visit, it is 9:30 in the morning when we continue our tour today through the places to visit on Lake Taupo, heading to the Craters of the Moon, located just 3 miles from Huka Falls.
Craters of the Moon
Although initially this place may seem uninteresting after making a route through the places to see in Rotorua, after our experience, we can only recommend doing this visit, since it is very different from everything you can do seen previously, including the Rotorua area.
In addition the walk runs through vegetation and probably you do not cross any other tourist, something that makes this visit even more interesting on the way to Lake Taupo.
Craters of the Moon
Less known than other geothermal areas in New Zealand, the Craters of the Moon formed after the construction of a hydroelectric plant, which caused the groundwater to go down, causing pools and vents to arise that are surrounded by vegetation giving the landscape a really impressive view.
Craters of the Moon
Tips for visiting the Craters of the Moon
- The price of the ticket is 8NZD per person.
- The schedule is from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and there is parking for cars and motorhomes.
- The visit is made through some walkways and a circular path that runs through the most famous areas, from which at some points you can see Lake Taupo in the background.
- The visit lasts about 1 hour, making stops to take pictures. With this in mind we believe that this visit is perfect to include in the places to see on Lake Taupo.
Landscapes of the Craters of the Moon
After the visit, which we have to confess, it leaves us with an incredibly sweet taste, since we did not expect that we liked it so much, at 11:30 in the morning we continued the route through the places to see on Lake Taupo, heading to Lake Taupo where before the visit, we stop at the Pak'n Save supermarket, where we take the opportunity to make the purchase for the next few days.
Pak'n Save supermarket
Taking into account that the supermarket and gas station area of Taupo is only 900 meters from the center of the town and Lake Taupo, we decided to leave the motorhome here to make this stretch on foot and thus also be able to start touring this city that so We have read, compete directly with Rotorua for being the most tourist area of the North Island of New Zealand.
More practical information to prepare your trip to New Zealand
- 10 essential tips for traveling to New Zealand
- 10 essential places to see in New Zealand
- The best travel insurance for New Zealand
What to see in Taupo
Being honest, the first thing we have to say is that our stop in Taupo has been somewhat casual, since this town is extremely recommended for those who want to do some extreme or outdoor sports, something that we have not been looking for precisely in this travel.
That said, we do recommend you to look in detail at the activities that are carried out here because if you like sports, spending a couple of days here we think it can be a highly recommended experience.
That is why we are going to focus on knowing the most central area of the city and a part of Lake Taupo, in addition to making a stop at its famous McDonalds, considered one of the most curious in the world.
McDonald's of Taupo
You like this fast food chain more or less, if you pass through Taupo, we recommend you not to stop, even if it is only to see its exterior. Do you need any explanation besides the photo?
McDonald's of Taupo
Taupo center
In addition to the stop at the fast food restaurant that we were commenting on, we recommend you to stroll through some of the streets parallel to Lake Taupo, to learn about having another vision of the town and another perspective of the New Zealand city.
Taupo
Taupo Lake
Located in the caldera of a volcano, Lake Taupo is the largest lake in New Zealand, formed after the eruption of the Oruanui almost 27,000 years ago. Originating in the Waikato River, which we saw earlier in the Huka Waterfalls, it flows into Lake Taupo, leaving all its strength in the rapids and reaching it with complete tranquility, making Taupo a perfect place to enjoy sports and sports. good weather.
Taupo Lake
From here, when it's 4 p.m. and we finish the route through the places to see on Lake Taupo, we already start our way to Tongariro, where if the good weather forecast continues, tomorrow we will do the incredible Tongariro Alpine Crossing trekking.
We arrived there after traveling the 75 kilometers and an hour and a quarter of a way, to stay at the Tongariro Holiday Park, our accommodation in Tongariro, where we will spend the next two nights and where we have dinner crossing our fingers so that the weather continues to stay and allows us Tomorrow, enjoy one of the most incredible days of this trip.
Although before finishing the story of the day, we cannot forget the need to book transport from the Ketetahi car park, where the Tongariro trekking to Mangatepopo ends, the starting point. In our case and due to the instability of the weather, we have waited until the last moment to do so, although if it is high season, it is advisable to go looking at the squares to be able to count on this transfer.
In tomorrow's post we will give all the details about the trekking and this transfer, although we anticipate that you can book it here.
We leave you the map of the route that we have followed by the places to see in Lake Taupo, among which the Huka Falls and the Craters of the Moon stand out and then move to the Tongariro area, where tomorrow we will face one of the most famous trekkings in the world.
Day 11: Trekking Tongariro Alpine Crossing in New Zealand
