Visit Lake Taupo, New Zealand

April 19, 2021 Fishing

Every imaginable type of accommodation welcomes travelers to this region. Visit Huka Lodge, one of the distinguished sporting lodges in New Zealand.

Lake Taupo wasn’t a tourist attraction in 186 AD. In those days, the Roman Empire was flourishing, and Romans were traveling to the far ends of the Empire that extended from Britain to the southern tip of Africa. Then, travelers to the North Island of New Zealand would have witnessed a series of nine volcanic eruptions, culminating in the most violent natural explosions in recorded history. Needless to say, it would not have been among the world’s most distinctive tourist destinations.

In a few minutes, more than seven cubic miles of poisonous ash, rocks, lava and pumice shot up to 30 miles into the air at speeds of 550 mph. Historians in Rome and China, halfway around the world, reported darkened skies. The whole of the North Island was covered in thick, poisonous ash. The eventual result of all that violence is Lake Taupo, which formed in a crater 18 miles wide and 25 miles long. That crater remains volcanically active to this day. Swimmers in the lake feel pockets of warm water heated by thermal activity deep in the waters’ depths.

Tourists now flock to this area in the geographical center of New Zealand’s North Island. The stunning lake is the draw, but the fertile land that grew out of these natural phenomena has its own attractions. There are eight golf courses within a 50-mile radius of the lake, numerous tennis courts and facilities, a huge pocket of mineral baths and swimming pools, 24 smaller lakes, and rivers and streams that criss-cross the verdant landscape. There’s swimming, water skiing, yacht racing and skydiving. Lake Taupo is probably the most famous lake in the world, known for rainbow trout fishing and its principal tributary, the great Tongariro River, is a world-renowned fly-fishing river.

The area is so big and the lake so vast that visitors don’t feel the presence of the great number of visitors that come here every year.

Every imaginable type of accommodation welcomes travelers to this amazing region. Huka Lodge, one of the distinguished sporting lodges for which New Zealand is known, has hosted royalty in its extraordinary villas. Let’s take a closer look at this legendary lodge.

HUKA LODGE

If it’s good enough for the Queen of England, it’ll probably satisfy you. When the Queen stays here, her royal entourage occupies the whole place. But, for visitors lucky enough to secure accommodations here, it is not uncommon to share a dinner table with an interesting group that might include English land owners discussing their latest fox hunt (to these folks, the Raj is not dead!); minor Austrian nobility desperate for a boar hunt; and, not to be out done, American wannabes boasting of their purchase of a Caribbean island. Huka Lodge is so famous that jet setters collect a stay here the way some people collect spoons. Don’t get me wrong – if you need to ignore some of the guests, so what! What can you say about a world-renowned destination where the owner will gladly unload and load your luggage? The staff, following his example, couldn’t be better or more accommodating.

The setting is beautifully tranquil and the rooms – small villas really – are stunningly decorated. Look out the sliding glass back door and the view is of a short expanse of manicured lawn down to the Waikato River. Guests can dine in their room, in a private dining room or, if you’re feeling sociable, at a table with other guests. The food will satisfy the most jaded diner. In fact, it helps to have a sophisticated palate and knowledge of every food substance known to man to recognize all that’s served. Fortunately, the menu is an excellent point of reference. For simpler fare, the staff will gladly cater to more plebeian tastes.

Activities on the grounds include a soak in the hot pools, a swim in the pool, a game of tennis or petanque. A little further afield, the concierge can arrange outings for water skiing, skydiving, fishing, white water rafting or a 150-foot bungee jump over the Waitiko River.

Huka offers hunters a seasonal choice of game, including red and sika deer, ducks, wild turkeys or a wild boar hunt—all staffed by knowledgeable guides to blaze trails through the wild, magnificent Taupo countryside. Or maybe you prefer biking, hiking, kayaking, rock climbing or golfing. Nearly every activity, from quiet and calming to adrenaline pumping can be arranged.

One “signature” Huka experience begins with a helicopter pickup on the front lawn of the Lodge. You’ll fly along the eastern edge of Lake Taupo and then above the alpine splendor of the Kaimanawa mountain range. Landing in the wilderness along the Rangatiki River, visitors can fish for large rainbow trout, and later climb back aboard the aircraft with their catch, eventually descending from the mountains toward the Western Bays of Lake Taupo. The helicopter sets down on a remote rock shelf where “a well-appointed motor launch, a sumptuous lunch and a chilled bottle of New Zealand wine” await you. As you boat back to the town of Taupo, troll for trout, try your hand at clay pigeon shooting or swim in the warm/cold waters of Lake Taupo. This is a destination for travelers in search of the ultimate vacation—for those adventurous souls whose destiny lies outside the tourist box.