Manawatū-Whanganui Region · New Zealand
Where to stay in Taupō
Taupō is a city in Manawatū-Whanganui Region, New Zealand, home to about 25,000 people. This guide covers 1 aparthotel in Taupō.
- Places to stay in this guide
- 1
- Nearest airport
- TUO6 km · Taupo Airport
- Currency
- NZDNew Zealand dollar
- Time zone
- Pacific/Auckland
- Plugs
- I · 230 V
- Emergency
- 111
- Language
- English, Māori, New Zealand Sign Language
About
About Taupō
Taupō, sometimes written as Taupo, is a town located in the central North Island of New Zealand. It is situated on the north-eastern edge of Lake Taupō, which is the largest freshwater lake in New Zealand.
The Lake Taupo area is on a volcanic plateau. The lake, famed for its trout fishing and boating, fills the caldera of one of the largest supervolcanoes in the world, in a still active geological region. About 26,000 years ago, the lake area was a volcano that erupted in an enormous explosion that ejected about 1,200 km3 of material, spreading it over the central North Island and forming the Volcanic Plateau. The resulting depression became Lake Taupo after it filled with water draining off the surrounding hills.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Taupō
See
There are many sights of interest in the Taupō region, most of which are free of charge, and you should set a day aside to check out some of the sights. To get around the sights transport is a must: a mountain bike at the very least for people with some fitness or perhaps a rental car or shuttle for those who prefer to relax while on holiday.
- Aratiatia Dam
- Huka Falls
- Kinloch
- Taupō Museum
- Waipahihi Botanical Gardens
- Wairakei Power Station
- Ohaaki Power Station
- Craters of the Moon
- Orakei Korako
Do
There is no shortage of activities on offer in Taupō, be it an adrenaline rush or the more sedate. There is something for everyone, from the ever popular bungy, to Taupō being internationally known as a mecca for skydiving, to jet boating, trout fishing, scenic flights, and simple pleasures such as the AC Baths and the one and only Starlight Cinema. Lake Taupo is widely considered to be the rainbow trout capital of the world and the lake's tributaries contain some fine brown trout.
- Taupō Bungy
- Huka Falls Jet
- Rapids Jet
- NZ River Jet
- Taupo Tandem Skydiving
- The Barbary
- Chris Jolly Outdoors
- Ernest Kemp Cruises
- Fish Cruise Taupo
- Two Mile Bay Sailing Centre
- Trout Catching
- Taupo Lake Adventures
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Places to stay in Taupō
1 place to stay from the chains this guide covers, each linked to its own website.
| Place to stay |
|---|
| Quest Taupo aparthotel |
Schematic: the city centre in orange, each place to stay as a dot, distance rings in kilometres.
Where to stay
Where the places to stay in Taupō are
53 places to stay in this guide with known coordinates, grouped by straight-line distance from the city centre (the point Wikidata gives for Taupō), nearest first. Distance on foot or by road is longer.
31 places
- Bella Vista Motel Taupo · 0.0 km
- Barrington Motel Taupo · 0.1 km
- Dunrovin Motel · 0.1 km
- No. 6 Heathcote · 0.1 km
- Beechtree Motel · 0.1 km
- Asure Ascot Motor Inn · 0.1 km
- 52 on Rifle Motel · 0.1 km
- Mountain View Motel · 0.2 km
- Lake Taupo Motor Inn · 0.3 km
- eMotel · 0.3 km
- Acapulco Motor Inn · 0.4 km
- Quest Taupo · 0.4 km
- Silver Fern Lodge · 0.4 km
- Courtney Motel · 0.4 km
- Voyager Apartments Taupo · 0.5 km
- Twin Peaks Lakeside Inn · 0.5 km
- The Village Resort · 0.5 km
- Asure Prince Motor Lodge · 0.5 km
- Chevron Motel · 0.5 km
- Le Chalet Suisse Motel Taupo · 0.5 km
And 11 more, further out.
15 places
- VU Thermal Lodge · 1.0 km
- Boulevard Waters Motor Lodge · 1.8 km
- The Reef Resort - Heritage Collection · 1.9 km
- Phoenix Resort - Taupo · 1.9 km
- Sacred Waters Taupo · 1.9 km
- Clearwater Motor Lodge · 2.0 km
- Taupo Debretts Spa Resort · 2.1 km
- Grandeur Thermal Spa Resort · 2.3 km
- Hilton Lake Taupo · 2.3 km
- Cascades Lakefront Motel · 2.4 km
- Cottage Mews Motel · 2.5 km
- Lakeland Resort Taupo · 2.5 km
- Rive Gauche B&B Lodge · 2.6 km
- Accent on Taupo Motor Lodge · 2.6 km
- The Anchorage Resort – Heritage Collection · 2.9 km
6 places
- Huka Lodge · 4.1 km
- The Loft · 4.5 km
- Bellevue Boutique Lodge · 4.8 km
- The Flying Trout Boutique Lodge · 4.8 km
- Chalet Eiger · 6.2 km
- Wairakei Resort Taupo · 7.0 km
1 place
- Motutere Bay Top 10 Holiday Park · 24.4 km
Where to stay
More hotels in Taupō
52 hotels within 25 km of the centre, as recorded in Wikidata; the 40 best known are shown, by the number of Wikipedia editions that cover them. Each name links to its encyclopedia article where there is one.
| Hotel | Opened | From centre |
|---|---|---|
| 52 on Rifle Motel | 0.1 km | |
| Absolute Lake View Motel | 0.7 km | |
| Acapulco Motor Inn | 0.4 km | |
| Accent on Taupo Motor Lodge | 2.6 km | |
| Ashbrook Motel | 0.6 km | |
| Asure Ascot Motor Inn | 0.1 km | |
| Asure Prince Motor Lodge | 0.5 km | |
| Barrington Motel Taupo | 0.1 km | |
| Based by the Lake | 0.9 km | |
| Baycourt Lakefront Motel | 0.6 km | |
| Baycrest Lodge | 1.0 km | |
| Beechtree Motel | 0.1 km | |
| Bella Vista Motel Taupo | 0.0 km | |
| Bellevue Boutique Lodge | 4.8 km | |
| Boulevard Waters Motor Lodge | 1.8 km | |
| Camellia Court Family Motel | 0.8 km | |
| Cascades Lakefront Motel | 2.4 km | |
| Chalet Eiger | 6.2 km | |
| Chevron Motel | 0.5 km | |
| Clearwater Motor Lodge | 2.0 km | |
| Colonial Lodge Motel | 0.9 km | |
| Cottage Mews Motel | 2.5 km | |
| Courtney Motel | 0.4 km | |
| Dunrovin Motel | 0.1 km | |
| eMotel | 0.3 km | |
| Finlay Jack's YHA Taupo | 0.8 km | |
| Gables Lakefront Motel | 0.9 km | |
| Grandeur Thermal Spa Resort | 2.3 km | |
| Great Lake Motel Taupo | 0.7 km | |
| Hilton Lake Taupo | 2009 | 2.3 km |
| Huka Lodge | 4.1 km | |
| Lake Taupo Motor Inn | 0.3 km | |
| Lakefront Lodge Taupo | 0.6 km | |
| Lakeland Resort Taupo | 2.5 km | |
| Le Chalet Suisse Motel Taupo | 0.5 km | |
| Motutere Bay Top 10 Holiday Park | 24.4 km | |
| Mountain View Motel | 0.2 km | |
| No. 6 Heathcote | 0.1 km | |
| Phoenix Resort - Taupo | 1.9 km | |
| Rive Gauche B&B Lodge | 2.6 km |
When to go
The best time to visit Taupō
Taupō has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. January is the warmest month, with average highs of 22 °C; September is the wettest, with about 145 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Taupō travel calendar 2027: every day with public and school holidays, sunrise and sunset and the typical high and low (also as JSON).
Public holidays in New Zealand, 2026
Shops and offices may close on these dates.
Getting there
Getting to Taupō: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Taupo Airport (TUO), about 5.5 km from the city centre in a straight line; Rotorua Regional Airport (ROT, 68 km) and Hawke's Bay Airport (NPE, 110 km) are also within reach.
Getting around
The urban centre is very compact and is within easy walking distance of most hotels, motels and hostels, as are a number of the more popular activities. To explore further, there are several car rental companies and the popular "Hot Bus" shuttle, which has regular trips to the most popular tourist sites. In addition most activity operators offer a free pick up, drop off service. It is also possible to hire push bikes and motor scooters. Accommodation providers will be able to assist with all transport arrangements.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Taupō: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Taupō?
Taupō has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. January is the warmest month, with average highs of 22 °C; September is the wettest, with about 145 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Taupō?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Taupo Airport (TUO), about 5.5 km from the city centre in a straight line; Rotorua Regional Airport (ROT, 68 km) and Hawke's Bay Airport (NPE, 110 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Taupō?
New Zealand dollar (NZD).
Nearby
Destinations near Taupō
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; public holidays from python-holidays (MIT); places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.