Taupō makes CNN’s 25 best places to visit in 2025 list

Taupō has made CNN's prestigious '25 Best places to visit' list for 2025. Photo / Love Taupō

A city in Aotearoa has made CNN’s global list of the “25 best places to visit in 2025″; a placement Tourism New Zealand estimates to be equivalent to $518,000 of advertising.

Each year CNN Travel releases a highly anticipated list of 25 destinations discerning travellers should visit. New Zealand didn’t make the list in 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021 or 2020 but this year one city caught the eye of CNN Travel staff.

Alongside Chemnitz in Germany and Japan’s Kansai, the country of Bolivia, and Gdansk in Poland, is the idyllic lakeside town of Taupō, which has “cinematic landscapes”.

The town of Lake Taupō from the lake, New Zealand

While the South Island has a reputation for being naturally beautiful, travellers can find stunning scenery in Taupō, according to the CNN entry.

In particular, staff mention the lake’s Ngātoroirangi Mine Bay Māori Rock Carvings and Huka Falls, while foodies are encouraged to visit “the world’s most unusual McDonald’s”; a decommissioned World War II-era Douglas DC-3 aeroplane.

The Ngatoroirangi Mine Bay Māori Rock Carvings are just some of the reasons to get paddling on Lake Taupō. Photo / Love Taupō

As for accommodation, the luxury Huka Lodge, which turned 100 in 2024, is noted as a stunning place to stay when it reopens in March 2025.

Feature something Taupō could ‘never afford’

Destination Great Lake Taupō general manager Patrick Dault says he was “mighty chuffed” to hear Taupō made the exclusive list, especially due to the attention it would get.

“It’s a golden start to the year for Taupō,” he said, adding that the media exposure was something they could “never afford to pay for”.

Tourism New Zealand estimated the equivalent ad value for the Taupō placement in CNN (which has 123 million unique monthly visitors) as $518,000. This was the equivalent of a Super Bowl ad for the Taupō region, Dault said.

Patrick Dault was 'chuffed' with the feature. Photo / Love Taupō

Getting featured in a North American media outlet was especially beneficial given it’s Taupō's largest international market, representing almost 35% of international visitors.

Dault said the feature was a “fabulous” way to start 2025 after the district hit 100% of pre-pandemic international spending in 2024.

The title comes hot on the heels of another “win for the region”, the Vinfast Ironman 70.3 World Championship last December, which was the most-attended world championship on record.

“It also comes hard on the heels of another massive win for the region. The Vinfast Ironman 70.3 World Championship in December was an outstanding event – the best and most-attended world champs ever according to the organisers.”

Best things to do in Taupō

To celebrate the feature, Dault shared some of the best activities to enjoy when visiting the city.

1. See Huka Falls – Aotearoa’s most visited natural attraction
2. Discover Ngātoroirangi Mine Bay Māori Rock Carvings
3. Mountain bike the Supervolcanic Trail Network
4. Hike the incredible Tongariro Alpine Crossing
5. Launch out on New Zealand’s highest cliff-top bungy
6. Experience spectacular Orakei Korako geothermal wonders
7. Make family fun at Debretts Hot Springs
8. Land a trophy trout
9. Jet boat the Aratiatia Rapids to a movie location
10. Follow the Craters of the Moon geothermal trail
11. Test your golf swing on a championship course
12. Experience pure relaxation at Wairakei Terraces
13. Follow the Graffiato street art trail
14. Take on the Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge
15. Chase waterfalls in the Western bays
16. Explore ancient forests in Pureora Forest Park