Trout, Geothermal Wonderland & Lake Taupo (various distances)
This really isn't a fisherman's story. The photo is of a beautiful 55 cm trout that I caught one evening at sunset in the swimming hole just 10 minutes walk from Timber Trail Centre.
Further afield (about an hour's drive) on the edge of Lake Taupo, NZ’s largest lake lies Turangi township, named the Trout Fishing Capital of the World for its abundant supply of this magnificent fish – and close by are public geothermal pools in the forest, if you’d like to enjoy a hot soak after catching that trout. Lake Taupo, NZ’s largest lake, is huge (about the size of Singapore) and stunningly beautiful. It was formed by a cataclysmic eruption only 25,000 years ago, that spewed 750 cubic kilometres of ash and pumice, making the great Krakatoa eruption in Indonesia that is more well known look like a squeak (at 8 cu km). Taupo’s last major eruption was as recent as AD 180, shooting enough ash into the atmosphere for ancient Romans and Chinese to record unusual skies and to bury our Timber Trail Centre in 5 metres of pomace sands. The area is still volcanically active and, like Rotorua, has fascinating thermal hot spots.
Besides fishing and soaking there are many things to day in and around Lake Taupo, including boating, white water rafting, diving, visits to the main geothermal area (“Craters of the Moon”) - and for the especially brave, a 50 metre bungy jump – the North Island’s most popular – over the Waikato River. More information: https://www.newzealand.com/int/lake-taupo/ and https://mustdonewzealand.co.nz/things-to-do-lake-taupo-best-activities-attractions/
