Taup? (; Maori: ['to?p?:]); also spelled Taupo) is a town on the shore of Lake Taup? in the centre of the North Island of New Zealand. It is the seat of the Taup? District Council and lies in the southern Waikato Region.
Taup? has a population of 24,500 (June 2017). In 1953, Taup? was officially constituted as a borough, but from 1989 it has been administered by the Taupo District Council, the district including both Taup? itself and the surrounding hinterland. Despite this, it is occasionally referred to as a city. It is the 20th largest urban area in New Zealand, and the second-largest in the Waikato Region (behind Hamilton).
The name Taup?, by which the town is commonly known, is the shortened version of its full name, Taup?-nui-a-Tia. Literally translated from M?ori language, Taup?-nui-a-Tia means "The great cloak of Tia", where Tia is the name of the discoverer of the lake.
In 2009 a team of Taup? citizens won the TV2 programme Top Town.
Video Taupo
Geography
Taup? is located at the outlet of Lake Taup?, New Zealand's largest lake, in the northeast part of the lake where it discharges to the Waikato River. The river flows over the spectacular Huka Falls, a short distance north of the town. Taup? is a centre of volcanic and geothermal activity and hot springs suitable for bathing are located at several places in the vicinity. The volcanic Mount Tauhara lies six kilometres (4 mi) to the east.
Somewhat to the northeast are significant hot springs. These springs contain extremophile micro-organisms that live in extremely hot environments.
Taup? is situated on a stretch of State Highway 1, running concurrently with State Highway 5. It is situated 53 km north of Turangi. It is one of the few centres in New Zealand that were never linked to the rail network.
The small but growing satellite town of Kinloch, where there is a golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus, is 20 kilometres west along the lake.
Neighbourhoods
- Inner suburbs
Taup? neighbourhoods include:
- Wharewaka - is a popular swimming spot for locals and has a growing new subdivision along with a large retirement village.
- Nukuhau - lies north of the Waikato River. To the south west lies Acacia Bay and to the south lies Taup? town centre.
- Richmond Heights - lies to the east of Rainbow Point and south of Mountain View. It is home to the Richmond Heights shopping center.
- Waipahihi - lies to the north of Richmond Heights. It is home to the Waipahihi Primary School, and the Waipahihi Botanical Gardens.
- Mount View
- Acacia Bay
- Rainbow Point - lies north of Wharewaka and west of Richmond Heights. To the west lies Lake Taupo.
- Tauhara - lies just north of Hilltop and east of Mount View. Mount Tauhara lies just east of Tauhara. Tauhara is the location of Tauhara primary school, Tauhara College and Tauhara Golf course.
- Hilltop - lies south of Tauhara. Hilltop is the location of Hilltop School, Taup? Intermediate School, the Taup? Hospital, the Taharepa shopping centre and the Hilltop shopping centre.
- Taup? CBD
- Five Mile Bay - is located on the east side of Lake Taupo, south of Wharewaka and north of Waitahanui on State Highway 1 just west of the Taup? Airport. It is a popular swimming/water skiing beach which gets very busy in summer. Five Mile Bay is one of three similar named bays along the lake shoreline, the others being Two Mile Bay and Three Mile Bay.
- Outer suburbs
- Wairakei
- Waitahanui
Climate
The climate of Taup? is cold and windy when compared to other parts of the North Island. This is due to the town being located inland, which results in the accumulation of dry air causing severe frost during winter. However snowfall in Taup? is rare. The summer climate in Taup? is mild with maximum average temperature reaching 23 degrees and a minimum average temperature of 10 degrees.
Maps Taupo
Economy
Taup? is a tourist centre, particularly in the summer, as it offers panoramic views over the lake and to the volcanic mountains of Tongariro National Park to the south. It offers a number of tourist activities including sky diving, jet boating and paragliding.
Taup? services a number of surrounding plantation pine forests including Kaingaroa Forest, the largest manmade forest in the world, and related industry. A large sawmill is sited approximated 3 km to the north east of the town on Centennial Drive.
The Wairakei geothermal power station is a few kilometres north of the town.
Education
Taup? has three high schools: Tauhara College, Taupo Nui-a-Tia College and state integrated Lake Taupo Christian School. It also has Wairakei, St Patrick's, Waipahihi, Hilltop, Mount View, Taup? and Tauhara primary schools, and Taup? Intermediate School.
Sporting events
Since the mid-1990s Taup? has become increasingly popular as a venue for major sporting events, increasingly of an international nature. The town's compact size, clean environment, central location and supportive council and community have been cited as the reasons for this. Major events in Taup? include:
Annual events
- Ironman New Zealand
- Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge
- Oxfam Trailwalker
- Great Lake Relay
Past events
- FIM International Six Day Enduro (2006)
The International Mountain Bicycling Association has designated the mountain biking trails at Bike Taup? as a silver-level IMBA Ride Center. Ride Centers are the IMBA's strongest endorsement of a trail experience.
Transport
Taup? is served by State Highway 1 and State Highway 5, and the Thermal Explorer Highway touring route. All three highways run concurrently along the Eastern Taup? Arterial, which was built in 2010. SH 5 diverts east on the Napier-Taup? Road. Before this SH 1 and SH 5 began concurrently from Wairakei in the north, along Tongariro Street and Lake Terrace.
Taupo is one of the few large towns in New Zealand that have never had a link to the national rail network (the others being Queenstown and Nelson), although there have been proposals in the past.
Taup? Airport is located south of the township. The airport is served by Air New Zealand subsidiary Air Nelson, with direct flights using Bombardier Q300 aircraft to Auckland. Flights to and from Wellington are served by Sounds Air using nine-seater Pilatus PC12 - a single-engine, turboprop aircraft.
Twin cities
- Hakone, Japan
- Nouméa, New Caledonia
- Suzhou, China
- Xi'an, China
See also
- Taupo railway proposals
- Owen Delany Park
References
External links
- The district council's site
- Great Lake Taup? Official Visitor Information Website
- Turangi and Lake Taup? Website
- Taup? Street Map
- Taup? Library
Source of article : Wikipedia
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