My ties to this region go back generations, being of Ngāti Tūwharetoa descent. My grandmother grew up at the foot of the mountain where I now work. For my family, Taupō is our lifetime home and I dream of our children and their children being in this spot. And, of course, skiing on the mountain every winter. There is nowhere else I would rather be.
We are so lucky here in Taupō. As a small tourism town it has a great vibe. We always have events at the weekends and as locals we get to enjoy all the great things that draw people here, but it still manages to have that small-town feel. Living here I have the Waikato River on the doorstep, the lake in our backyard and the mountain on the horizon just a little over an hour's drive away. With bushwalks and lake and riverside trails for biking, it really is a bloody awesome place.
Another great thing about Taupō is that we have things to keep us busy all-year round. In the warmer months, you get freshwater swimming in the lake or river, our mountain biking is great any time of year, and in winter we are an easy drive to Mt Ruapehu for epic skiing and snowboarding at New Zealand's largest ski area.
