Taupō, sometimes spelled Taupo, is a town in the central part of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located on the edge of Lake Taupō, which is the largest freshwater lake in the country. Taupō became a borough in 1953. Since 1989, it has been the main office of the Taupō District Council.
Taupō is the largest city area in the Taupō District and the second-largest city area in the Waikato region, after Hamilton. It has a population of about 27,000 people (as of June 2025). The town is known for its natural beauty, and the surrounding area offers many outdoor activities, such as hiking, fishing, skiing, and water sports. Visitors can also see attractions like the Wairakei Power Station, Huka Falls, and Tongariro National Park.
Naming
The name Taupō comes from the Māori language and is a shorter form of the longer name, Taupō-nui-a-Tia. This longer name was first used to describe a cliff at Pākā Bay, which is on the eastern side of the lake. The name means "the great cloak of Tia." It was given in honor of Tia, a Māori explorer who discovered the lake. Later, the name was also applied to the lake itself. In 2019, the official name of the town was changed from Taupo to Taupō.
Although many people pronounce the name as "tow-po" ( / ˈ t aʊ p oʊ / , NZE /ˈtæʊpaʉ/ ), this is often considered incorrect. Instead, the Māori pronunciation, "toe-paw" ( / ˈ t oʊ p ɔː / , NZE /ˈtaʉpoː/ ), is usually preferred in formal situations.
History
Around 700 years ago, the Maori people began living in the Lake Taupō area. They settled along the Waikato River, the shores of the lake, and near the edges of forests. Europeans first arrived in Taupō around 1839.
In 1868, a group of armed police officers was stationed in Taupō to improve communication in the central North Island. In 1870, they built a fort to protect a crossing point on the Waikato River where it meets Lake Taupō. The fort could hold up to 150 men, but only 15 to 40 men were usually there in the early 1870s. This fort was on the opposite side of the river from the Ngāti Tūwharetoa village at Nukuhau, now called Redoubt Street. A courthouse was built in 1881 near the fort. In 1886, the armed police were replaced by a regular police force.
Hot water pools near Taupō started drawing visitors in the late 1870s and early 1880s. Hotels were built to serve tourists. In the 1890s, rainbow trout were added to Lake Taupō, making the area a popular place for fishing and staying.
A road board was created in 1922, and Taupō became a borough in 1953.
A bridge with six control gates, connecting the northern and southern parts of Taupō, was completed in 1941. The bridge helps manage the flow of water from the Waikato River to nine hydroelectric power stations downstream.
Taupō grew quickly because of the Wairakei geothermal power station, built 7 kilometers north of Taupō. It started operating in 1958 and finished in 1963. The expansion of the timber industry and farming also helped the area grow between 1949 and 1953.
Farming in the region faced challenges early on because of an illness called "bush sickness" that harmed sheep and cattle. Scientists found that the soil lacked a mineral called cobalt. After adding cobalt to the soil, farming became successful. By 1954, there were 138,600 sheep, with over 20 sheep farms and 300 dairy farms in the area.
The population of Taupō was 753 in 1945, 1,358 in 1951, 2,849 in 1956, and 5,251 in 1961.
More geothermal power stations were built around Taupō, including the Poihipi station, completed in 1997 and bought by Contact Energy in 2000; the Te Mihi station, completed in 2014; and the Tauhara station, completed in 2024.
Geographical features
Taupō is located on the northeastern shore of Lake Taupō, New Zealand's largest lake, which lies within the caldera of the Taupō Volcano. The Waikato River carries water out of the lake and flows through the town, separating the central business district from the northern suburbs. The river continues north to Huka Falls, a short distance from the town. Taupō is a place with active volcanoes and geothermal features, including hot springs that are suitable for bathing. Mount Tauhara, a volcano, is located six kilometers (4 miles) to the east. Taupō is 153 kilometers southwest of Hamilton, 80 kilometers south of Rotorua, and 50 kilometers north of Turangi.
To the northeast of Taupō, there are significant hot springs. These springs contain microorganisms that live in very hot environments.
A small but growing town called Kinloch, which has a golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus, is located 20 kilometers west of Taupō along the lake.
Taupō suburbs include:
Taupō has an oceanic climate (Cfb). The town is inland, which causes dry air to accumulate and lead to severe frost during winter. However, snowfall in Taupō is rare. The summer climate in Taupō is mild, with average maximum temperatures reaching 23 degrees and average minimum temperatures of 10 degrees.
Demographics
Taupō is described by Statistics New Zealand as a city of medium size and covers 42.05 square kilometers (16.24 square miles). It stretches from Acacia Bay in the west to Centennial Park in the east and to Taupō Airport in the south. The Taupō urban area had an estimated population of 27,000 as of June 2025, with a population density of 642.09 people per square kilometer. It is the 26th largest urban area in New Zealand and the second-largest in the Waikato Region, behind Hamilton.
Taupō had a population of 25,374 in the 2023 New Zealand census. This was an increase of 1,752 people (7.4%) since the 2018 census and an increase of 4,251 people (20.1%) since the 2013 census. There were 12,429 males, 12,882 females, and 66 people of other genders living in 9,711 homes. About 2.4% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 42.4 years, compared with 38.1 years nationally. Of the population, 4,695 people (18.5%) were under 15 years old, 4,008 (15.8%) were aged 15 to 29, 11,103 (43.8%) were aged 30 to 64, and 5,571 (22.0%) were aged 65 or older.
People could identify with more than one ethnicity. The results showed 77.6% European (Pākehā), 25.6% Māori, 3.8% Pasifika, 7.8% Asian, 0.9% Middle Eastern, Latin American, and African New Zealanders (MELAA), and 2.7% other, including those who identified as "New Zealander." English was spoken by 97.2%, Māori by 5.7%, Samoan by 0.5%, and other languages by 8.8%. About 1.8% of people did not speak any language, such as children too young to talk. New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.5%. The percentage of people born overseas was 20.1%, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Religious affiliations included 30.7% Christian, 1.8% Hindu, 0.3% Islam, 2.6% Māori religious beliefs, 0.7% Buddhist, 0.4% New Age, 0.1% Jewish, and 1.4% other religions. About 54.7% of people did not identify with any religion, and 7.5% did not answer the census question about religion.
Of those aged 15 or older, 18.6% had a bachelor’s degree or higher, 57.7% had a certificate or diploma after high school, and 23.7% had only a high school qualification. The median income was $41,500, the same as the national average. About 10.2% of people earned more than $100,000, compared with 12.1% nationally. Among those aged 15 or older, 50.2% worked full-time, 14.3% worked part-time, and 2.1% were unemployed.
Economy
Taupō is a popular place for visitors, especially during the summer, because it provides wide views of the lake and the volcanic mountains in Tongariro National Park to the south. It offers many activities for visitors, such as sky diving, jetboating, parasailing, and bungy jumping. Craters of the Moon is a geothermal valley where people can see bubbling mud and steam coming from underground geothermal activity.
Taupō supports nearby pine forests, including the large Kaingaroa Forest and related industries. A large sawmill is located approximately 3 kilometers to the northeast of the town on Centennial Drive.
Taupō has seven geothermal power stations around it, including the historic Wairakei geothermal power station, which is a few kilometers north of the town.
Taupō has a McDonald's restaurant with an old Douglas DC-3 plane attached to the store. The fast food outlet includes seating inside the plane's structure.
Governance
The Taupō District Council helps manage local government tasks for the Taupō area. Taupō is part of the Taupō electorate. The current member of parliament for this area, as of 2023, is Louise Upston.
Museum
The Taupō museum is situated in the middle of the town on Story Place. It has displays that include information about the Ngāti Tūwharetoa, a Wharenui (Māori Meeting House) carved by local artisans between 1927 and 1928, a moa skeleton, and a caravan filled with local items and souvenirs from the late 1950s and early 1960s. There are also exhibits about volcanoes and art galleries.
Sports and recreation
Regular sporting events in Taupō include Ironman New Zealand, the Lake Taupō Cycle Challenge, and the Great Lake Relay (established in 1995). The Lake Taupō Cycle Challenge has about 5,000 riders. The Oxfam Trailwalker has been held in Taupō several times. In 2006, Taupō was also the location of the off-road motorcycle event FIM International Six Day Enduro.
The International Mountain Bicycling Association has given the mountain biking trails at Bike Taupō the silver-level IMBA Ride Center designation. Ride Centers are the IMBA’s strongest approval of a trail experience.
Owen Delany Park is a multi-purpose sports ground in Taupō. It has a capacity of 30,000 people and includes six sports fields: Cricket – four grass cricket blocks and six artificial wickets; a 400-meter athletic track; ten netball courts; and a velodrome.
Taupō is home to the Taupo Golf Club, which has two courses: the Tauhara golf course and the Centennial course. Other golf courses near Taupō include Wairakei Golf + Sanctuary, the Kinloch Club Golf Course, and the Reporoa Golf Club.
Taupō is home to the Taupo International Motorsport Park. It has a full international-standard racing circuit.
The AC Baths is a swimming pool complex located at 26 AC Baths Avenue. Facilities include two 25-meter lane pools, an outdoor leisure pool with two toddler areas, a sauna, two hydroslides, and four private thermal mineral pools.
Education
Taupō has four high schools: Tauhara College, Taupo-nui-a-Tia College, Māori immersion Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Whakarewa i Te Reo ki Tuwharetoa, and state-integrated Lake Taupo Christian School. The area also includes several primary schools, such as Wairakei, St Patrick's, Waipahihi, Hilltop, Mount View, Taupō, and Tauhara primary schools. Additionally, there is Taupo Intermediate School.
Infrastructure and services
Taupō is connected to State Highway 1 and State Highway 5, and it is part of the Thermal Explorer Highway touring route. These three highways travel together along the Eastern Taupō Arterial, a main road completed in 2010.
Taupō is one of the few large towns in New Zealand that has never been connected to the national rail network. However, there have been plans to create a rail link in the past.
Taupō Airport is located south of the town. Regular flights to Auckland and Wellington operate from this airport.
Taupō first received electricity in 1952 when the Hinemaiaia A hydroelectric power station, located south of the town, began operating. The town was connected to the national electricity grid in 1958, when the Wairakei geothermal power station, located north of the town, started working. Today, Unison Networks manages the electricity distribution in Taupō.
Natural gas became available in Taupō in 1987. First Gas is responsible for distributing gas to homes and businesses in the area.
Taupō’s fresh water comes from Lake Taupō. Before 2013, the town had two separate water systems: the Lake Terrace system, which served the area north of Napier Road, and the Rainbow Point system, which served the southern suburbs. In 2013, the Lake Terrace water treatment plant was improved, and the two systems were combined. Acacia Bay has its own separate water system.
The local newspaper, Taupō Times, was owned by Stuff. The last issue of the Taupō Times published online was on June 28, 2024. However, Taupō & Tūrangi News is now published independently after its editor bought it and another change in ownership occurred in January 2025. There is also a local radio station. The Taupō Times newspaper from 1952 was digitized through a partnership between The Preserving Local History and Educational Trust and Taupō Museum and Art Gallery.