Great Lake Taupo is New Zealand's largest lake.

Approximately the size of Singapore, it's looked upon almost as an inland sea.

The town of Taupo is located on the outlet of the lake in the northeast, where it discharges to the Waikato River which then flows over Huka Falls, just north of the town.

An adventure sport capital, Great Lake Taupo sees jetboats, water-skiing, yachts, kayaks and anything else these sport crazy Kiwis can invent.

When compared to other regions in New Zealand, Taupo can be cold and windy due its inland location resulting in the build up of dry air causing severe frost during winter. While frost is prevalent, snowfall is rare. Summer's are mild with a maximum average temperature reaching 23 C (73 F).

Sadly, New Zealand hadn't received the "It's Summer" memo as it was cold and blowing a gale, with rain travelling horizontally at painful speeds. I arrived in town to discover that my Rapids Jet excursion had been cancelled with the explanation that the rain would be travelling even faster, around 80 kms/hr (50 miles/hr), straight at us...good call!

Happily there is still much to do in Taupo, even on a rainy day.

Taupo

Centrally located on the North Island, The Great Lake Taupo district is 278 km (173 miles) from Auckland and 371 km (230 miles) from Wellington.

Taupo is a volcanic and geothermal hotspot and a massive volcanic eruption nearly two thousand years ago created Great Lake Taupo, darkening the skies spreading as far west as China and east to Europe. The region is known for its geysers, steaming craters, boiling mud pools and geothermal hot springs.

The town's full Maori name is Taupō-nui-a-Tia which literally means "The great cloak of Tia," after the lake's discoverer.

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