Lake Taupo Region
With lake and mountain views, Oreti restaurant could get away with average food. But the kitchen doesn't compromise, serving fun filo pastry–wrapped prawns in shot glasses of sweet chilli and aioli and elegant mains like seared duck breast, sweet with parsnip and prunes. Where else on Lake Taupo do waitstaff wish you bon appétit to a jazzy French soundtrack?
On Fridays the bar opens at 5pm and doesn't close until midnight. Breakfast and lunch hampers by request.
26.2 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…
23.53 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…
18.99 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…
26.96 MILES
Mt Ruapehu (2797m) is the North Island's highest mountain and one of the world’s most active volcanoes. One year-long eruption began in March 1945,…
29.58 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…
25.8 MILES
This geothermal area sprang to life when hydroelectric tinkering around the power station in 1958 caused water levels to fall. The pressure shifted,…
17.47 MILES
Northeast of Ruapehu, Mt Ngauruhoe (2287m) is the national park's youngest volcano and the most classically perfect in its conical shape. Its first…
Wairakei Natural Thermal Valley
27.71 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…
5.61 MILES
This interactive science museum inside the i-SITE is a little text-heavy but turns theory to reality with an earthquake simulator, a live seismograph…
4. Tongariro National Trout Centre
7.45 MILES
Around 4km south of Tūrangi, this DOC-managed trout centre has a hatchery, an underwater viewing chamber, a museum with polished educational displays, a…
15.62 MILES
Ongoing rumbles are reminders that all the volcanoes in this area are very much in the land of the living. In 2012 Te Maari, a crater on Mt Tongariro …