Taupo is one of my favourite spots on New Zealand’s North Island.

I’m fortunate to have visited this bustling lakeside town three times now and each time, I’ve come away promising to return. There’s just something about New Zealand’s lakes that feels so healing for me.

Recently, I decided to visit after completing the Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk (there’s another lake!), and Taupo provided the perfect place to recover, unwind, and start getting back to reality.

I loved it so much, in fact, that I returned four months later to spend another couple of days hanging out beside the crystal-clear waters of Lake Taupo.

Taupo’s magnificent Huka Falls

What I Love About Taupo

So what do you need to know about Taupo?

Well, I casually mentioned above that Taupo is a lakeside town, but that’s kind of underselling Lake Taupo to you, because this body of water — the largest lake in New Zealand — is the same size as Singapore. It blew my mind when I learned just how vast it is, and I suddenly understood why everybody refers to it as the inland sea of New Zealand. On a windy day, when visibility is low, you’d be forgiven for thinking you were standing on a coastline, looking out to sea.

In reality, Lake Taupo is the crater of a vast supervolcano, formed after one of the most violent eruptions of the past 5,000 years. After blowing all that it had into the atmosphere, the volcano promptly died out and the extinct crater filled itself with water. These days, the lake is fed from a constant stream of water from the nearby snow-capped mountains.

And while Lake Taupo is now far more sedate than it was in the past, evidence of the area’s geothermal activity surrounds the town. You’ve got geysers, hot springs, and funky colours scattered across the landscape, and as you stand beside the waterfront, you’ll be unable to take your eyes off the trio of volcanoes in the distance.

Mount Tongariro, Mount Ngauruhoe, and Mount Ruapehu are all visible from Taupo, and they make for particularly impressive views across the lake. And speaking of Mount Tongariro — you can’t forget the Tongariro Crossing, which has been heralded as New Zealand’s best one-day hike. After having completed it way back in 2013, I can’t disagree with the assessment.

If there’s one thing Taupo is most famous for, however, it’s its adventure activities. Whether it’s jet boating, bungy jumping, parasailing, or skydiving, there’s something for all adrenaline lovers, and tourists arrive in town every day, searching for their next fix.

If, like me, you tend to hit the skip button when it comes to adventure travel, you’ve still got the small-town vibe of Taupo to soak up, plus the dozens of beautiful nature trails and the lake to sit beside with fish and chips in hand. One of my favourite activities in Taupo is walking out to the magnificent Huka Falls and marvelling at the sheer power this natural phenomenon generates.

In this post, I’m going to be sharing all of my favourite things to do in in Taupo.

(A note for my many American readers: prices in this post are listed in New Zealand Dollars — at the time of writing, 100 NZD is around 70 USD.)

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I love the turquoise colours of the water at Huka Falls

Walk Out to Huka Falls

I can’t write about Taupo without mentioning Huka Falls.

This powerful waterfall is the most visited natural attraction in the entirety of New Zealand, and for good reason: it’s seriously impressive! What it lacks in height, standing at just 11 metres tall, it makes up for in strength, as a whopping 220,000 litres of water barrels over it each and every second. If you, like me, struggle to conceptualise that amount of water, let me tell you that it’s enough to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool in just 11 seconds.

The absolute best way to experience the falls is from the bridge crossing over them, along with the many nearby viewpoints scattered along the water’s edge. And while you can drive out to the falls, I recommend walking instead.

It takes an hour to complete the trek from Spa Park to the falls, along the Huka Falls Trail, and it’s such a lovely trail, weaving alongside the native forest, and I loved hearing the roar of the water getting louder with each step. If you only have time to do one thing in Taupo, this should be it.

Jet Boating All the Way to Huka Falls

Now.

If you’re one of the longest of long-time readers of Never Ending Footsteps, you may recall my fraught relationship with jet boats. Back in 2013, I decided to jump aboard the Huka Falls Jet without so much of an inclination of what jet boats even were. The result? Well, I published a photo essay of the resulting trauma for all to see and giggle at.

But I’ve come a long way from that dramatic girl, and these days, I absolutely adore jet boats. Seriously — they’re so much fun! And the Huka Falls Jet? It’s the country’s best.

While on board, you’ll race through a picturesque gorge, coming within inches of sheer rock face, and just as you regain your composure, jump straight into a 360-degree spin, before getting right up close to the waterfall itself, witnessing its power from metres away.

It’s an action-packed adventure, and you’ll be talking about it for days afterwards.

Skydiving in the Best Place to Do So

When you think of travel to New Zealand, you’re most likely fantasising about epic landscapes and adrenaline-fuelled activities. In Taupo, you can combine both of these iconic attributes and jump out of a plane in the country’s most skydived location. Yes, 30,000 people skydive in Taupo each year and for good reason.

You’ve got pristine Lake Taupo, snow-capped volcanoes, and coast-to-coast views of the beautiful North Island, all thrown in together to make for a particularly adventurous jump. There’s a reason why Taupo is known as the skydiving capital of the world.

And if you’re a Lord of the Rings fan, know that nearby Mt Ngauruhoe is Mount Doom from the movies! There’s nothing more badass than jumping from a plane over that volcano.

A 12,000 ft jump, with 40 seconds of freefall, comes in at just under 300 NZD. An 18,000 ft jump with a whopping 75 seconds of freefall? That’s priced at $499.

Take a Scenic Flight Over the Volcanoes

If skydiving isn’t your thing, you can still get up close and personal with the volcanoes from the air — by taking a scenic flight over them.

You’ve got a couple of options here, with both helicopter and float planes up for grabs and you’ll be able to choose which area to see before you fly.

Go check out Huka Falls from above, soar over the trio of snow-capped volcanoes to check out Mount Ruapehu’s volcanic lake — pictured above — or head out over the rainbow-coloured geothermal landscapes to see them from a new angle. Hell, you can even sign up for a scenic flight over White Island — New Zealand’s infamous active volcano that erupted in 2019, killing 22 visitors — if you’re feeling particularly bold.

Book your floatplane experience with Taupo Floatplane (prices starting from $109) or your helicopter adventure with Inflite Experiences (prices from $195).

Check Out the McDonald’s in a Plane

Speaking of planes, Taupo is the only place in the world where you can eat a McDonald’s inside a plane without attracting a hefty dose of side-eye from the people around you.

The decommissioned DC-3 aircraft has been on site for 30 years now, having been purchased by McDonald’s way back in 1990. Seating 20 diners, it still has the original cockpit in the plane, and it makes for a particularly interesting place to eat your Big Mac.

Let’s face it: none of us go on holiday to eat McDonald’s, but if you find yourself with a craving, this is a unique place in town to satisfy it.

The Highest Water-Touch Bungy Jump

Taupo is all about the adventure activities, so you shouldn’t be surprised to learn it’s home to New Zealand’s highest water-touch bungy jump. Not only that, it’s also New Zealand’s only clifftop bungee jump!

Located above the pristine Waikato River, you’ll pay world-famous bungy-jumping company AJ Hackett just $120 to bounce down into those refreshing waters. You can jump alone or with a friend, and you can also choose if you want to be dunked in the river or remain dry. But where’s the fun in the latter?

If bungy jumping isn’t your thing, AJ Hackett also operates a giant swing in the same location. Attached to a rope that’s almost 50 metres long, you’ll leap from that clifftop and find yourself reaching speeds of up to 70km/h as you swing back and forth over the turquoise river. Badass.

Check Out the Maori Carvings at Mine Bay

Now, this is particularly awesome!

Out on Lake Taupo, there’s a spot called Mine Bay, and in that bay, you’ll find a contemporary Maori rock carving, 14 metres high, etched into the rock. I note that they’re relatively recent, as opposed to ancient, as a lot of people end up disappointed when they discover they were completed in 1980. Still, I think they’re pretty damn cool-looking.

Mine Bay is only accessible by water, so your three options for seeing them are by cruise ($35), yacht ($49), or by kayak ($115). The latter will allow you to get much closer, so that’s what I recommend. But whichever vessel you choose, the carvings are seriously impressive and well-worth heading out to.

Hike Mount Tauhara

If you’re looking to stay active while you’re in Taupo, there are so many nature trails and hikes to set out on.

One of my favourites, though, is the hike to the top of Mount Tauhara. Now an extinct volcano, its dome shape provides a killer workout — in a good way — and the views from the top, looking over the countryside are beautiful. The path can be a little sketchy at time, with tree roots and rocks to stumble over, but it’s nothing too challenging.

The trail is 2.5 kilometres in length — one way — and climbs around 500 metres in elevation. It takes two or three hours to tackle the return trip, depending on how fit you are — just head to Mount Tauhara car park to start your walk.