Taupo
There’s nowhere more lakefront than this Two Mile Bay cafe-cum-pizzeria-cum-bar that's as chilled as the lake (and the Bob Marley tunes). The main dining room juts over the lake, and there are a few tables on the little beach, but our favourite haunts are the beanbags on the grass. The pizza is good and the location is sunny-day perfection.
Also hires out kayaks (per 30 minutes/hour $20/30), stand-up paddle boards ($20/30) and sailing boats ($45/75), and offers sailing lessons (30 minutes $20).
4.42 MILES
The Waikato, New Zealand’s longest river, squeezes through a narrow chasm at Huka Falls, making the dramatic 11m drop into a surging crystal-blue…
16.83 MILES
Tucked away from other more popular thermal fields, Orakei Korako is (since the destruction of the Pink and White Terraces, at least) arguably NZ's most…
29.06 MILES
The most colourful of the region's geothermal attractions, Wai-O-Tapu (Sacred Waters) has a variety of features packed into a relatively compact, heavily…
2.03 MILES
This small but fascinating museum has an excellent Māori gallery and quirky displays, which include a 1960s caravan set up as if the occupants have just…
4.36 MILES
Accessible only by boat or kayak, these 14m-high carvings were etched into the cliffs near Mine Bay by master carver Matahi Whakataka-Brightwell in the…
7.22 MILES
Two kilometres off SH5, this gorge was a spectacular part of the Waikato River until a hydroelectric dam was plonked across the waterway, shutting off the…
4.83 MILES
This geothermal area sprang to life when hydroelectric tinkering around the power station in 1958 caused water levels to fall. The pressure shifted,…
Wairakei Natural Thermal Valley
6.72 MILES
This thermal walk (1.8km) on a secluded property explores the steaming banks of the Wairakei Stream and the deep pit of the Witches Cauldron. Kids will…
0.95 MILES
At the end of the long town beach are patches of warm water right in front of a car park. It’s no Coromandel, but have a dig and you might find some…
2.03 MILES
This small but fascinating museum has an excellent Māori gallery and quirky displays, which include a 1960s caravan set up as if the occupants have just…
4.36 MILES
Accessible only by boat or kayak, these 14m-high carvings were etched into the cliffs near Mine Bay by master carver Matahi Whakataka-Brightwell in the…
4.42 MILES
The Waikato, New Zealand’s longest river, squeezes through a narrow chasm at Huka Falls, making the dramatic 11m drop into a surging crystal-blue…
4.48 MILES
Excellent spot to view spectacular Huka Falls. From the car park, cross the bridge and turn left.
4.83 MILES
This geothermal area sprang to life when hydroelectric tinkering around the power station in 1958 caused water levels to fall. The pressure shifted,…
7. Wairakei Natural Thermal Valley
6.72 MILES
This thermal walk (1.8km) on a secluded property explores the steaming banks of the Wairakei Stream and the deep pit of the Witches Cauldron. Kids will…
7.22 MILES
Two kilometres off SH5, this gorge was a spectacular part of the Waikato River until a hydroelectric dam was plonked across the waterway, shutting off the…