Tempting Taupo
Taupo is a lovely little town with plenty to do and a sense of hospitality I haven't yet seen elsewhere in New Zealand.
On our long weekend my partner and I managed to visit Taupo hot springs, the botanical gardens, huka falls, craters of the moon. We also managed to hike up mount Tahara and enjoy the lovely walks around the river. Yet we still missed out on so much.
Taupo also has a few shops which are worth visiting in town. But your time is better spent exploring or participating in the wide variety of activities which are offered in and around Taupo.
For dinner skip the American fast food chains with line the river front (and make it look ugly) and opt for a local run cafe in the centre of town.
A big thank you to the lovely staff at craters of the moon, and also the staff at Taupo bungy who offered us a lift home in the rain, even though we haven't even jumped!
Insider Tip:My advice to any visiting Taupo would be to ditch the car for a day or two and get your walking boots on. We could have seen both Huka falls and craters of the moon in half a day had we had a car. It was a good job we didn't....... we would have missed out on so much.
One day we set off at 9.30 from town and Hiked up to Huka falls and craters of the moon. The journey took us through hot springs where tourists in the middle of winter were stripping off to bathe in the warm water, past Taupo bungy jump where we watched for an least an hour people jumping off the beautiful mountain top and not too mention the different people you meet along the way. The journey took all day but was more than worth while.
