I had 3 full days in Auckland and the North Island. On one of the days we took a road trip down south to visit Taupo. Taupo is about a 3 hours ish drive out from Auckland. I wanted to visit Lake Taupo, one of the nicest spots in the North and also the home of the largest lake in New Zealand. We rented a car in Auckland and this sounds like a great plan for the weekend.

New Zealand North Island Road Trip – Taupo

After a long drive from Auckland, we finally made it to Taupo! The scenery was pretty nice as we approach Taupo. We first went on foot exploring the town and by the Lake. Lake Taupo is huge. It is the largest lake by surface area in New Zealand. The town is pretty busy given that it is the weekend and also the holidays.

Traffic was bad and we struggle to find parking at first. Furthermore, the max parking limit by the lake was quite short, especially for those that are near the shops and restaurants.

When in Taupo, you have one of the most unique McDonald’s in the world. The Taupo McDonalds come with a full-size Douglas DC-3 plane. The DC-3 used to be a passenger plane, then a top-dressing plane before it was decommissioned in 1984 and became a promotional feature.

For those who are feeling “golfy”! Try your hand at the Lake Taupo Hole-in-One Challenge where you can win huge prizes if you score the hole-in-one target in the lake.

After that, we drove to the Huka Falls nearby. It is pretty impressive to witness the phenomenon of natural hydro power. More than 220,000 litres of water per sec pass thru the waterfall.

Before making our way back North, we went to Huka Honey Hive to get some Honey. They have a huge selection of honey and all sorts of variety that you can think of.

Dining at Taupo

We got lunch at Taupo shortly after arriving. We got into the city just in time for lunch and I had made a reservation ahead at Waterside. This is one of the most popular restaurants in town and it is perfect for lunch. It is located in the town and right by the lake. There are both indoor and outdoor seats. The weather is perfect! As the sun was a little strong, we got indoor seats instead. There is a huge selection on their menu and you can check it out here. Do make a reservation in advance especially during peak periods and on the weekends. We wanted to try everything and order plenty to share. The prices are very fair. Here is a selection of items that we ordered.

Conclusion

The rather long drive from Auckland did make me feel whether the visit was worth it and the effort felt kinda wasted. The drive is by no means short. It is about 3 hours each way and it took us almost half a day to get here. This is especially after our trips prior around the South Island. This pales in comparison. While I do not doubt that the North Island has its charm as well, I will recommend doing it the other way around and checking out the North Island before the South.