Turangi is a fishing town that was built almost overnight. In the 1960s, when the Tongariro Power Scheme needed workers to divert the rivers of the central plateau into hydroelectric stations, a new town was laid out beside the Tongariro River at the southern end of Lake Taupō. About three and a half thousand people live there now, and the place has settled into an easy life based on trout, tourism and the great volcanic national park behind it.
The trout come first. The Tongariro River is one of the most famous trout rivers in the world, with rainbow trout swimming up from the lake to spawn in winter, and fishermen stand shoulder to shoulder in the pools in waders, casting long lines. The town calls itself the trout fishing capital of the world, and the claim is only half a joke. Nearby, the Tokaanu thermal pools offer hot springs fed by volcanic heat, and the walk through the geothermal area has bubbling mud and steaming vents.
Turangi is also the base for the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, a walk across a volcanic landscape of craters, coloured lakes and lava flows that is often called the best day walk in the country. The crossing is strenuous, and the weather on the volcanoes can turn deadly cold, so many people take shuttles from town before dawn. Ngauruhoe, the cone that stood in for Mount Doom in the films, rises beside it.
For riders, the town is the end of the Desert Road, with a long descent from the plateau to the lake. State Highway 1 continues along the western edge of the lake to Taupō, with bends and views of the water. Frost and fog can be present on winter mornings, and heavy traffic builds up on holiday weekends. The surface is good and the gradients gentle, and the lake is always on one side.
Fuel is easy here, with stations on the main road, and shops and cafes in the centre. The lakeside is a good place for a break, with picnic tables and a view of the mountains across the water.
Come in autumn if you can, when the light is clear, the crowds have gone and the trout run is beginning. The water in the lake is blue, and the volcanoes look close enough to touch.