How to get to Taupō

Taupō is centrally located in the middle of the North Island of New Zealand, about 3.5 hours drive from Auckland and 4.5 hours drive from Wellington.

Taupō is within a two-hour drive of Waitomo Caves to the west, Hamilton to the north, Tauranga to the east and Ruapehu to the south.

Closer to Taupō you will find the trout fishing mecca of Tūrangi and the world-famous Tongariro Alpine Crossing within the Tongariro National Park is close by.

Drive:

Taupō is an easy drive from all of the main centres on the North Island of New Zealand. Taupō is situated at the crossroads of State Highway One (SH1) and the Thermal Explorer Highway, the country's main highway for road travel, connecting Auckland to Wellington.

Distance from Taupō	Kms	Drive time
Auckland	271 km	3h10
Hamilton	155 km	2 hrs
Hobbiton	120 km	1h30
Napier	142 kms	2 hrs
Rotorua	80km	1hr
Tūrangi	51 km	46 min
Waitomo	150 km	1h55
Wellington	373 km	4h40
Whakapapa	105 km	1h30

Fly:

The 2 closest airports are Taupō (Domestic) & Hamilton (International).

Auckland < > Taupō (50 min): 2 flights daily with Air New Zealand
Sydney (SYD) < > Hamilton (3hrs): 4 flights weekly (Mon, Tues, Thu, Sat) with Jetstar
Gold Coast (OOL) < > Hamilton (3h30): 3 flights weekly (Wed, Fri, Sun) with Jetstar

Train

Great Journeys New Zealand operates the Scenic Northern Explorer Train, which connects Auckland to Wellington.

Although the train does not stop in our region, it passes nearby. The closest stations are:

National Park (120 km - 1h21)
Taumarunui (123 km - 1h30)
Otorohanga (135 km - 1h45)

Inter-regional Bus Services :

Intercity.

Arrival / Departure Point: Taupō i-SITE on 30 Tongariro Street.

To Taupō

From

Depart

Arrive

Duration

Auckland - Central

09:00

12:30

19:00

14:04

17:25

00:09

5 hrs

Auckland - International Airport

07:47

08:17

11:25

11:47

17:57

18:17

14:04

17:25

00:09

6h17

5h47

6 hrs

5h38

6h12

5h52

Hamilton

11:35

14:30

21:00

14:04

17:25

00:09

2h29

2h55

3h09

Napier

09:00

12:00

11:05

14:20

2h05

Rotorua

08:50

13:05

23:10

09:55

14:15

00:09

1h05

Wellington

07:45

09:15

19:00

14h55

15:39

01:19

7h10

6h24

6h19

From Taupō

Depart

Arrive

Duration

Auckland - Central

01:20

11:20

16:20

06:25

16:35

20:45

5h05

5h15

4h25

Auckland - International Airport

01:20

11:20

16:20

07:17

16:27

21:07

5h57

5h07

4h47

Hamilton

01:20

11:20

16:20

04:19

14:10

18:40

2h59

2h50

2h20

Napier

15:15

17:40

17:19

19:35

2h04

1h55

Rotorua

01:20

15:35

16:10

02:20

16:40

17:15

1h05

Wellington

00:10

10:40

14:30

06:30

17:45

20:45

6h20

7h05

6h15