Taupo Adventures

Taupo is the beating heart of adrenaline adventures...or should that be the pounding heart? In a country where seeking thrills is almost a rite of passage, this is the home of adventure.

Just steps from your accommodation in Taupo you'll find adventure at every turn. Adrenaline junkies won't know what to do first, to throw themselves from a plane, mountain bike the hair-raising trails, white water raft the thundering rapids or bungee jump head first into a river.

New Zealand pretty much invented many of the adrenaline activities we know and love, and Taupo is its bull's eye of adventure. There are few things you cannot do here, and plenty you won't even have heard of. Organic adventure awaits too, so set off to hike, bike, swim or ski and get lost in the beauty of the landscape.

Water Activities

  • White water raft the Tongariro River's grade 3 rapids for an adrenaline-soaked adventure in the midst of some of the country's most pristine nature.
  • Feel the spray on your face as you rush the base of the mighty Huka Falls on board a jet boat. Feel the power of the boat and water in this exhilarating adventure.
  • There are water adventures and then there's hurling yourself off a bungee platform and freefalling until you splash into the Waikato River below, the largest water-touch jump in the country.

Land Adventures

  • Hike or mountain bike the epic Great Lake Trail, a first-class, 71-kilometre track that follows the shores of Lake Taupo. Just imagine what the views are like.
  • Get a bird's eye view of the incredible lake-mountain-sea landscape around Lake Taupo as you throw yourself out of an airplane and soar towards the ground.
  • Lace up your hiking boots and set off along the Waikato River. Along the way stop off to soak in natural thermal springs and end at the thundering Huka Falls.

Winter Adventures

  • Adventure activities in Taupo take on a new lease on life with the first snowfall. Enjoy skiing, snowboarding, sledding and epic snowball fights.
  • Whether you're at Olympic level or can barely get on a ski lift, you'll find something enjoyable at Whakapapa Ski Area, New Zealand's largest ski zone.
  • Give the chutes and runs a break for the day and head into the pristine backcountry at Tūroa Ski Area on the highest ski lift in Australasia.

Created in partnership with Destination Great Lake Taupo