The Great Business Escape in Taupo

Friendly locals, a central location, cultural values, hospitality and an inspiring landscape make Lake Taupo the ideal meeting place.

At the heart of the North Island, the Lake Taupo region stretches from Orakei Korako in the north to Tongariro National Park in the south. Home to New Zealand’s largest fresh water lake, volcanic wonderlands, a World Heritage Park and the famous Huka Falls, Lake Taupo has world class natural assets to match its business ones.

This growing lakeside community is a cosmopolitan hub that still has that ‘village’ feel about it, but you’ll find a huge range of excellent accommodation venues and activities to suit everyone. If you’re after team building activities that will up the ante, there are plenty of choices. Try a bungy jump, tandem skydive or jetboat ride. Kayak the rivers or ski the mountain, go rafting, head into the hills on a quad bike or race a V8 car around the racetrack.

For those who like to take things a little easier, you can enjoy the region’s stunning lake and mountain scenery from a helicopter, take a scenic boat cruise, go for a leisurely bushwalk, catch a trout for dinner or practice your swing on one of the region’s courses. At the end of the day, when the conference doors are closed, you can unwind in a thermal pool, do a spot of wine tasting and enjoy a meal at one of the many superb restaurants and alfresco cafés.

Facilities
The region offers the convention and incentive market a range of venues and facilities, several of them catering for groups of up to 150. There is a purpose-built convention centre in the town centre, with a capacity of up to 650 people and an Events Centre that can seat 1200 people for that special banquet dinner. Lake Taupo’s largest accommodation venue can conference up to 600 delegates and sleep 360.

Accommodation venues range from excellent three-star to four-plus star resorts and boutique hotels, fishing lodges through to luxury lodges classed alongside the best in the world.

Getting here
Taupo is served by regular 45 min flights from Auckland and Wellington. The region is a three hour drive from Auckland and four and a half from Wellington but the exciting news is the confirmation of direct trans tasman flights into Rotorua airport from 2009.

Team Building Fun on the Water

• Cruise across Lake Taupo under leisurely sail, by steamboat or by luxury launch.
• Catch a rainbow trout, or try your hand at skeet shooting while cruising the lake.
• Waterski or parasail.
• Kayak out to the Maori Rock Carvings.
• Dine on board a cruiser with a themed dance party to follow.
• Organise a trout fishing tournament using the local charter boats.
• Jet boat on the mighty Waikato River close to the thundering Huka Falls or take a scenic river cruise.
• Ride the famous Fulljames Rapid by jetboat – a great 30 minute icebreaker.
• Jet boat down the Waikato River and be shown a slice of NZ few others have seen. Soak in the natural hot pools by the river edge with a BBQ picnic to follow or park up and do The Squeeze! Take a float plane ride back to the lake.
• Kayak the lake or rivers, or raft the rapids of the mighty Tongariro. 

Adventure Plus!

• Drive the 4x4 quad bikes over native bush trails and compete in a laser shooting showdown.
• Put on the trekking boots to walk the trails of Tongariro National Park or take a scenic flight for a bird’s-eye view of the volcanoes. Ski or snowboard on the slopes of Mount Ruapehu.
• Combine outdoor activity with a team building adventure at The Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre, near Turangi.
• Put the harness and helmet on to take the giant swing, just one of the adventures on the ropes course. 
• Take a mystery tour by mountain bike on the forest trails or through the ‘craters of the moon’ or go heli-hiking.
• Learn how to drive a racing car, and take to the track in a replica V8 racecar.
• Try some of the region’s fun activities – paintball, archery, clay target shooting, pistol shooting, knife and axe throwing, bungy jumping, sky diving, climbing walls, horseriding and more.

Chill Out…

• Enjoy a private thermal pool party and sink into a thermal hot pool.
• Choose from 7 local golf courses including Wairakei International Golf Course and a 9-hole golf course for that afternoon golf tournament. 
• Try a mouth-watering prawn feast, visit a riverside freshwater prawn farm, fish for prawns, play killer prawn golf and have your off-site cocktail function at Huka Prawn Park.
• Enjoy an art and wine trail ending at the famous Scenic Cellars or The Merchant of Taupo.
• Test your culinary skills at Yum Cook School.
• Visit one of the region’s geothermal wonderlands and experience a part of our Maori heritage, or visit a pristine geothermal cave.
• Dine, recline and experience our food and wine - excellent restaurants, stylish cafés and nightclubs for dancing the night away. For an offsite dinner, try The Barn at the Kitenui deer farm, the Super Cat dinner cruise on the lake, the more formal wine cellar at Poronui Ranch or go underground at Scenic Cellars or the Huka Falls Resort wine cellar.

Conference Planning
Call the Lake Taupo Convention Bureau on (07) 376 0402 or visit www.laketauponz.com/conferences for all activity, incentive and partner itinerary ideas and of course, the right advice on the perfect venue for your needs. 

More Information
• Order your free copy of Jasons Business Traveller, Jasons Central & Eastern North Island RoutePlanner  and Jasons Encounter New Zealand Activities Directory.
• Taupo Hot Deals  
• Destination Lake Taupo 

Images and editorial courtesy of:
Destination Lake Taupo

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