Lake Taupo, covering about 600 km², is a lake in the centre of New Zealand's North Island. It is the largest freshwater lake in Australasia. This crater lake is 350 metres above sea level. The lake is surrounded by white pumice beaches and rocky inlets. The town of Taupo lies on the northern side of the lake, which is itself central to the northern island.
The lake lies in the middle of the volcanic Taupo region. The caldera in which the lake is located was formed about 22,600 years ago in a giant volcanic eruption of the Taupo volcano with a strength of 8 on the Volcanic Explosivity Index scale. This emitted 1170 km³ of material, more than 100 times what Mount Pinatubo emitted in 1991. This puts the eruption in the category of super volcanoes. The ash descended over a huge area and is still found in several places.
Nowadays, tourism is an important part of Taupo's commercial sector. The busiest period for the sector is the summer around Christmas and New Year.
Photographer who specializes in birds, mammals, landscapes, professional bike racing and portraits. I preferably use my Nikon cameras D850 en D750... Read more…