The Ultimate New Zealand Travel Guide with
Taupo
South on the Thermal Explorer Highway (route 5) for 1 ½ hours will take you to another very important spot to visit –
Taupo - on the shores of New Zealand's largest lake created by a volcanic eruption. (Facts) about 26,500 years ago.
It is a beautiful pine forest on each side of the road for kilometers of easy driving miles.
Next stop. when you get to Taupo. can only be the Huka Falls. It is a natural phenomena not to be missed. Every time I get there I think “How can seeing a rush of water be exciting” but every time I see it I am overwhelmed and this time I get to show David and introduce you to it.
So after Huka Falls what else does Taupo have to offer. First it is a great town to stop and enjoy with an outlook over a spectacular body of water.
Do you like to fish? Nowhere in New Zealand can you match the trout fishing plus if you enjoy boating Lake Taupo offers top quality.
Then if you enjoy feasting on fresh, just out of the water, prawns (shrimp) here is the place -
Huka Prawn Park– for those outside of this region – Shrimp City....................what is he talking about?????
David and I were introduced to something that was created by virtue of the geo-Thermal world you will discover here when you visit the Huka Prawn Park.
I like their introduction -
"They make terrible pets, are pretty ugly looking and will even eat their own young, but they taste oh so great!"
We were lucky enough to be given a tour through the park by none other than “Sean the Prawn” and his very worthy assistant where in large under cover concrete containers the prawns (shrimp) are taken to adult size then turned loose on the outside park ponds or headed for the table. All the prawns raised are only prepared for the restaurant at the park or sold to anyone who has stopped by. Have you ever had fresh prawns? Ten times better than you can get a the frozen section of your supermarket.
When taking the tour you can feed the little shrimp that come up to you to feed on the food you present in your hand underwater. Outside in the ponds you can actually fish for them with a cane pole and all you catch you can keep.
Now what I say is Huka Prawn Park is perfect for the campervanner especially if they enjoy eating the little morsels.
Why I say perfect is the fact that with your van sitting in the large park lot you can take your bag of prawns and fix them yourself in the camper van or take them down by Lake Taupo and have a gourmet feast of your very own as David and I did.
To really get the full adventure at the park you can sit down in the Riverside Restaurant with both inside and outside dining of the delicacy on offer plus whatever you wish to accompany it such as a delicious glass of New Zealand wine.
Perhaps you may enjoy the geo-thermal foot bath offered at th park where you comfortably sit by the Waikato river and watch the world go by.
Here is a 15 minute video we made with the expert and most helpful Carla Denmead, marketing manager at Prawn Park
Check out the video - Huka Prawn Park
Taupo is a small but very interesting place to visit. Be sure to stop by the Information Centre right on the edge of the lake as most everything is. If you want to try one of the best restaurants in the country be sure to stop by Dixie Browns. David and I just had to stop by before leaving Taupo and get a coffee from one of my favourite barista's, Heidi, along with some of their homemade pastries. Great spot with Lake Taupo filling the vista in the front windows.
South of Lake Taupo is the community of Turangi where you can stay at the Turangi Kiwi Holiday Park.
Check out the short video I made when I visited. The new owners, Craig and Jenny, are busy fixing it up
for full use by this summer but right now for you campervanners it is a go.... (see video) I plan to stop by
again this summer so i can show it to you with the trees in their full glory. Great spot and good location.
and just four kilometres south of Turangi is the National Trout Centre. (see video)
So there is a lot to see and do here in this area. Plan time accordingly............
(this blog continues – on to the Tongariro Volcano Country next)
South on the Thermal Explorer Highway (route 5) for 1 ½ hours will take you to another very important spot to visit –
Taupo - on the shores of New Zealand's largest lake created by a volcanic eruption. (Facts) about 26,500 years ago.
It is a beautiful pine forest on each side of the road for kilometers of easy driving miles.
Next stop. when you get to Taupo. can only be the Huka Falls. It is a natural phenomena not to be missed. Every time I get there I think “How can seeing a rush of water be exciting” but every time I see it I am overwhelmed and this time I get to show David and introduce you to it.
So after Huka Falls what else does Taupo have to offer. First it is a great town to stop and enjoy with an outlook over a spectacular body of water.
Do you like to fish? Nowhere in New Zealand can you match the trout fishing plus if you enjoy boating Lake Taupo offers top quality.
Then if you enjoy feasting on fresh, just out of the water, prawns (shrimp) here is the place -
Huka Prawn Park– for those outside of this region – Shrimp City....................what is he talking about?????
David and I were introduced to something that was created by virtue of the geo-Thermal world you will discover here when you visit the Huka Prawn Park.
I like their introduction -
"They make terrible pets, are pretty ugly looking and will even eat their own young, but they taste oh so great!"
We were lucky enough to be given a tour through the park by none other than “Sean the Prawn” and his very worthy assistant where in large under cover concrete containers the prawns (shrimp) are taken to adult size then turned loose on the outside park ponds or headed for the table. All the prawns raised are only prepared for the restaurant at the park or sold to anyone who has stopped by. Have you ever had fresh prawns? Ten times better than you can get a the frozen section of your supermarket.
When taking the tour you can feed the little shrimp that come up to you to feed on the food you present in your hand underwater. Outside in the ponds you can actually fish for them with a cane pole and all you catch you can keep.
Now what I say is Huka Prawn Park is perfect for the campervanner especially if they enjoy eating the little morsels.
Why I say perfect is the fact that with your van sitting in the large park lot you can take your bag of prawns and fix them yourself in the camper van or take them down by Lake Taupo and have a gourmet feast of your very own as David and I did.
To really get the full adventure at the park you can sit down in the Riverside Restaurant with both inside and outside dining of the delicacy on offer plus whatever you wish to accompany it such as a delicious glass of New Zealand wine.
Perhaps you may enjoy the geo-thermal foot bath offered at th park where you comfortably sit by the Waikato river and watch the world go by.
Here is a 15 minute video we made with the expert and most helpful Carla Denmead, marketing manager at Prawn Park
Check out the video - Huka Prawn Park
Taupo is a small but very interesting place to visit. Be sure to stop by the Information Centre right on the edge of the lake as most everything is. If you want to try one of the best restaurants in the country be sure to stop by Dixie Browns. David and I just had to stop by before leaving Taupo and get a coffee from one of my favourite barista's, Heidi, along with some of their homemade pastries. Great spot with Lake Taupo filling the vista in the front windows.
South of Lake Taupo is the community of Turangi where you can stay at the Turangi Kiwi Holiday Park.
Check out the short video I made when I visited. The new owners, Craig and Jenny, are busy fixing it up
for full use by this summer but right now for you campervanners it is a go.... (see video) I plan to stop by
again this summer so i can show it to you with the trees in their full glory. Great spot and good location.
and just four kilometres south of Turangi is the National Trout Centre. (see video)
So there is a lot to see and do here in this area. Plan time accordingly............
(this blog continues – on to the Tongariro Volcano Country next)
