Located in the central North Island region, Taupo really is in the middle of the North Island, which makes it the perfect base for your North Island holiday! Taupo is situated at the crossroads of the North Island; from Taupo you are only 3 hours, 30 minutes from Auckland in the North and only 4 hours, 30 minutes from Wellington in the South!

Taupo can also boast to being on the Great New Zealand Touring Route! Renowned as one of New Zealand’s best driving experiences, the GNZTR offers the best of the North Island by following two well-established touring routes, the Pacific Coast Highway and the Thermal Explorer Highway. The Great New Zealand Touring Route comprises of 6 regions, being the Coromandel, Bay of Plenty, Hawkes Bay, Rotorua, Lake Taupo and Ruapehu.

Getting to Taupo is relatively simple with a few options available to suit your budget and time frame. Taupo Domestic Airport offers multiple daily domestic flights to and from Taupo airport. Air New Zealand operates daily with flights in and out of Taupo to/from Auckland and Wellington. Both Auckland and Wellington are only 30 minutes flying time from Taupo. Private charter planes operate from Taupo airport as well. Taupo Airport is located just 8km’s south of the town centre and an airport shuttle service meets each scheduled flight and offers door to door service. Taxis are also available to take you to your Taupo location.

For self-drive visitors Taupo is easy to find, as it is located on the crossroads of State Highway 1 and the Thermal Explorer Highway. State Highway 1 is New Zealand’s main trunk line for road travel and can be accessed either coming from Wellington in the South or Auckland in the North. The roads into Taupo are excellent and there is plenty of captivating scenery to be enjoyed.

For travellers that prefer to enjoy the scenic highlights while someone else does the driving there are plenty of shuttle buses and coach lines operating to Taupo from local regions, as well as further North Island locations such as Wellington, Auckland, Hamilton, Rotorua, Turangi, Napier, Hastings and more. Coach companies such as Intercity and Newmans Coachlines, Naked Bus, Kiwi Experience, Magic and Kiwi Travellers plus other coaches have regular scheduled services in and out of Taupo.

A great way to see Taupo and surrounding areas is with a professional tour operator! There are plenty of tour companies available for day trips around the Lake Taupo region so you can enjoy the top attractions such as Huka Falls, Orakei Korako, Tongariro National Park, Lake Taupo, Aratiatia Rapids, Craters of the Moon, Prawn Park and much more.

If flying is more your Taupo touring style, there is a great range of flight seeing options that will showcase the best of the Central Plateau with a comfortable and safe ‘birds eye view’. Of course many people visit Taupo for romantic getaways, weddings or luxury escapes, and what better way to be transported around Taupo then via a limo or chauffeur driven vehicle. From stretch limo’s to executive sedans and vans, this is the place to enjoy terrific transportation for that special occasion!

For the more budget minded traveller, having your own rental car gives you the independence to come and go as you please, and there are some really good rental car companies located in Taupo including the big name brands such as Maui, Avis, Britz and Budget offering a range of suitable vehicles to rent, including 4WD, budget, sedan and mini vans.

Whatever your choice of Taupo transportation, you are guaranteed a great trip!