Getting there

Planes

Air New Zealand (www.airnewzealand.com) offers regular flights to Taupo Airport (www.taupoairport.co.nz) from international hubs Auckland and Wellington. Alternatively, Rotorua Regional Airport (www.rotorua-airport.co.nz), just an hour’s drive away, also operates flights from Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

Trains

The Tranz Scenic Overlander (www.tranzscenic.co.nz) runs between Auckland and Wellington and stops twice in the region: at National Park and Okahune.

Automobiles

If you intend exploring the area, the easiest way by far is by car. Avis (www.avis.co.nz) has a counter at Taupo Airport, eight kilometres south of town. Otherwise, numerous shuttle bus services run year-round between Taupo, Turangi and the Tongariro National Park, and up to the Whakapapa ski fields (about 90 minutes away) during winter.