New Zealand – Maori Rock Adventure – Kayak Lake Taupo
We traveled to the city of Taupo in New Zealand on our roadtrip from Auckland to Wellington. It’s one of the largest cities we stopped in along the way, with a population of around 32,000. Lake Taupo is New Zealand’s largest lake and is a caldera of the Taupo Volcano. The city of Taupo offers lots of great outdoorsy activities including hiking, skydiving, river rafting, and kayaking. We went with the kayak trip as it was the most economical way for us to see the Maori Rock Carvings, which are visible from the water.
The Kayak Tour
With an easy to remember name, Lake Taupo Kayak Adventures, was our choice of travel guide. We called them the morning we wanted to do a tour and they were able to book a guide for the two of us for later that day. We met the guide out in their office in Acacia Bay, which is a 5-10 minute drive from the city center. Make sure you use the restroom at the office and leave behind anything valuable in case your kayak tips! We wanted to bring a camera and took the risk with the camera tucked in a ziplock bag and stuffed in my life jacket. Our guide got us suited up and into the kayak and off we went!
We were happy to have a private tour and a guide all to ourselves. We started on our ~5 kilometer trek out to the carvings and enjoyed chatting with our guide who had grown up in the Taupo area. About twenty minutes in, it dawned on us why we had the pleasure of a private tour… it was a terribly windy day for kayaking!
At a Glance:
- Rating: 4 (out of 4) stars, would absolutely do it again.
- Location: Starts in Acacia Bay, Taupo.
- Cost: $100 NZD (includes kayak rentals, guide, and refreshments).
- Restrooms: Go before the trip, nature pee.
- Duration: 3-4 hours round trip.
Highlights:
- Maori Rock Carvings of Lake Taupo.
- Learn about the region from a local guide.
Maori Rock Carvings
Struggling against the wind, we finally made it to the rock carvings and it was fabulous! It was breaktaking to be at the base of the carvings in the water. They tower 46 feet tall and the main carving features the face of Ngatoroirangi, a Maori ancestor whose presence on the lake protects it from the Taupo Volcano.
The carvings feel to be hundreds of years old, but were created recently in the late 1970s. Local artist Matahi Whakataka-Brightwell and 4 associates completed the carvings over the course of a couple years after he completed his 10 year training with Maori elders.
Most pictures online show the main carving with the large face of Ngatoroirangi, so I was surprised to see the other details in person. There are smaller carvings of animals near the water which depict his guardians. You can float right into the little alcove and feel so immersed in the artwork! It was also wonderful to be the only people there.
Kayak Lake Taupo
We were already tired when we got to the carvings and knew we had a long trip back against the wind! Our guide surprised us with a snack that was packed up in his kayak. We pulled over not too far from the carvings and got out of the water onto a flat rock area. The guide had two small folding chairs, hot coffee, water, and fresh baked muffins. It was so cute!
After our snack the wind really picked up and we were definitely struggling to get back to our starting point. The guide had a little motor in his kayak and hooked our kayaks together so that the motor could assisit our rowing (phew). By the time we got back we had been out for about 4 hours and learned so much about Maori culture but also about living in the town of Taupo from our guide.
We got a couple tidbits about New Zealand life from our guide. People value work life balance (doesn’t that seem lovely?!), toursim is currently a major component of their economy, and marmite it not to be used as generously as jam …. use very sparingly on toast with butter (thus why we found it so disgusting… haha). Our marmite discussion lead us to learn about the “Marmageddon” which still makes me giggle!
For $100 NZD (about $65 USD) we felt the experience was well worth the price. There are boat tours that get you to the carvings but we loved being out there alone and so close to the base of the carvings. Also a great arm workout!
Overall Thoughts on Taupo
The Lake is so beautiful, but we didn’t love the rest of the city of Taupo as much as we loved our other stops in New Zealand. The super small cities had a certain charm that we didn’t get from Taupo, and it wasn’t as exciting as the large cities of Auckland or Wellington. If we were to travel New Zealand again I’d do a day stop in Taupo for a kayak tour or hike, but then find somewhere a bit more quaint to stay the night.
We got a good deal on an Airbnb in the city, but it was not in the city center and was not super clean. It lacked the hygge that we had in all our other New Zealand accommodations!
Taupo has a couple vegan options – check out all our New Zealand Vegan Eats!
Have you gone on any beginner kayaking day-trips that you loved ? I’m still a newbie at kayaking but I would love to get back out on the water.
Happy Travels,
Rebecca
