Welcome to the Lake Taupo Volcanic Zone.
Why visit New Zealand's Lake Taupo? Below you will
find some of the secrets that make Lake Taupo such a
unique destination.
For the outdoor enthusiast Taupo is often regarded as
an adventurer’s eldorado of crystal clear water
and fresh air, set atop an ever-changing volcanic
landscape of remarkable beauty.
The New Zealand North Island resort city of Taupo
nestles elegantly on the edge of a natural volcanic
embankment overlooking one of the purest expanses of
fresh crystal clear water in New Zealand. The air
bristles with a fresh vitality, the snow touched
mountains looming in magnificent defiance to the
minuscule efforts of mankind to shape the land.
All this tranquil beauty and endless possibilities
for adventure and relaxation conceal however a hidden
secret.
A secret under your very feet, that forever reminds
you that here nature remains queen, extending her royal
domain in every direction as far as the eye can see. It
is a secret that will reward the visitor that takes the
time to discover its many subtle twists and awe
inspiring aspects.
The beginning of the secret lies in the fact that
Lake Taupo itself is at the centre one of the most
active volcanic areas in the world - called the Lake
Taupo Volcanic Zone. The Zone is thought to be the
western end of the Pacific Ring of Fire and is named
after Lake Taupo at its very centre, which is, in
reality, a flooded caldera of the largest volcano in
the zone. There are numerous “smaller”
volcanic vents and geothermal fields in the zone, with
the magnificent Mount Ruapehu, Mount Ngauruhoe and
White Island erupting most frequently.
The crater lake called Lake Taupo was formed over
27,000 years ago, filling crystal clear water into a
huge depression the size of Singapore through a series
of, at least, five volcanic eruptions, the largest
being only1800 years ago - an awesome event considered
the largest by far the world has ever witnessed.
The Taupo volcano burst into life in 186AD violently
ejecting 33 billion tons of pumice and ash 50,000
metres into the air to create the tranquil lake which
now offers so much beauty and recreational
possibilities.
Meanwhile, the unwanted pumice smothered over 20,000
square miles of land and forest from Taupo to Gisborne
over 300 kilometres away in the east ( an area
approximately covering the entire American state of New
York) to form a free draining landscape that is the
envy of anyone who has experienced the ‘winter
blues’ of clay clogged muddy tracks and slushy
lawns .
The Taupo volcano’s ‘little spat’
was the first ever recorded earth-shattering
‘event’ to put New Zealand on the world
stage. The Chinese recorded their sky having brilliant
red sunsets for over two years afterward, while the
Romans recorded the event in their annals as a
“mighty earthquake in a far distant
land”.
Although Lake Taupo still bubbles serenely in its
deepest depths, giving hot thermal water to many of the
resort’s residents and tourist attractions, the
volcanic vents of the three snow capped mountains on
its southern flanks still regularly show off the
awesome size of the remaining untapped power of
nature.
Mt Ruapehu has been the most recent exhibitionist
erupting in clouds of steam and ash in 1995 and 1996.
Closer to Taupo, a number of geothermal attractions
such as the Craters of the Moon, Taupo Hot Springs Spa,
the Wairakei Terraces and the hidden valley of Orakei
Korako show the visitor daily the delicate thinness of
the earths crust at this point at the end of the
world. Geologically speaking this thin crust
means that all known volcanoes in the area are
considered active, even though they have not erupted
recently. Geothermal steam from the earth’s
depths here is harnessed in a similar way to Iceland,
powering five power stations in the region which
provide electricity for all the major cities of North
Island.
Once your eyes have been opened to this unique
landscape, the visitor can see the astounding effects
of this constantly changing natural force, wherever one
looks. From the superheated volcanic pumice pieces
lying on the shores of the lake, to the enormous trout
that seem to benefit from the nutrients liberated by
the volcanic ash, this hidden secret called the Lake
Taupo Volcanic Zone will astound and delight you with
its multifaceted tales explaining why this region is so
special.
So the next time you visit Taupo and sip a long
black or partake in a latte experience in one of the
numerous chic little cafes by the shores of the lake,
take a moment to quietly reflect on this little secret
of nature under your feet that has made the landscape
so remarkably beautiful today.