Line © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), checked by Global Adventurer.
The paddling route
Launch from the boat ramp in the southern arm of Acacia Bay, on the western side of Lake Taupō, and paddle out past Otuparae Point. Follow the shore south past Parawera and Te Kumi bays, where cliffs and bush drop to the water, and round Rangatira Point and Whakamoenga Point. Just round the point, on the cliffs facing Mine Bay, is Ngātoroirangi, a carved face about 14 metres high. The master carver Matahi Brightwell made it between 1976 and 1980, and it can only be seen from the water. Look your fill, keeping off the rocks, and paddle back the same way.
It is 11.7 km there and back; allow about 2½ hours in a kayak or canoe and 3¼ on a paddleboard. The grade is Moderate: you stay within about 300 metres of the shore, but Lake Taupō is a small inland sea, and a westerly or southerly can raise steep waves quickly. Go early, when it is usually calmest.
Tour boats and yachts visit the carvings all day and gather in the bay below them: keep out of their way and do not paddle in front of them. The carving is a taonga, a treasure, so do not land on or climb the cliffs. Wear a lifejacket and check the conditions before you set off.
Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap waterways (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.
Good to know
- Along the cliffs west of Taupō to Ngātoroirangi, the Mine Bay rock carving
- Carved by Matahi Brightwell between 1976 and 1980; seen only from the water
- Past Te Kumi Bay and round Rangatira and Whakamoenga points
- Tour boats and yachts visit the carvings all day: give them room
On the water
- Put in: Slipway -38.71314, 176.02601
- No locks or weirs on the way.
- About 11.5 km (7.1 mi) on open water, up to 303 m from the shore: wind and waves build quickly.
- Rules and licences: Lake Taupō Harbourmaster. Check whether you need a licence before you go: on many inland waters in England and Wales you do, and Paddle UK membership includes one for many of them.
- Suits canoes, kayaks, paddleboards.
Getting there
Start: Acacia Bay South. -38.71314, 176.02601
Places to stay nearby
Rooms in and around Lake Taupō: Booking.com → Expedia → Hotels.com →
Affiliate links: if you book, Global Adventurer earns a small commission at no cost to you.
Water levels, flow and the weather decide the day. The line and figures come from OpenStreetMap and our own checks; wear a buoyancy aid, check the river levels and the forecast, keep well clear of weirs and powered boats, and don't go out in flood.