The town of Taupo is renowned for its majestic lake (Lake Taupo), which
portrays a unique environment set against a backdrop of lush green hills
and encompassed by a vast landscape of unspoiled forestry.
Lake Taupo is 160m deep and fills a volcanic crater covering 619 kms.
It was created by volcanic activity only 2000 years ago, a fact that is
recorded in Chinese history. It is similar in size to the country of Singapore
(which houses a population comparable to New Zealand’s).
Taupo Courthouse, Tapuaeharuru Redoubt, Magazine Building
Taupo Domain, Taupo
In 1870 the Armed Constabulary built a redoubt here for defence
against Te Kooti. There was never any fighting here, and it
was abandoned in 1885. A pumice magazine building stands in
one corner of the redoubt. The hall (1881) nearby was opened
as a theatre and converted to a courthouse in 1887. The hall
is now the home of the Taupo Kohanga Reo (Maori language preschool).
