Recent stories
We are pleased to bring you the latest from around the Taupō & Tūrangi communities. Reporting local, supporting local.
If you have news to share contact news@tauponews.co.nz
Sunday Groove features Hot Tub at Lava Glass
Lava Glass owner Christine Robb is looking forward to having her favourite local band play in the Lava Glass Sculpture Garden – not that she’s at all biased.
Community groups pitch for council funds
The Taupō District Council will be petitioned with 25 three-minute elevator pitches on Tuesday (February 25) as a raft of community groups vie for up to $460,000 per annum.
Originair touches down
Passengers on the first Originair flight from Wellington to Taupō arrived on Monday to a bit of fanfare, with a band and about 50 supporters.
Hundreds compete in river swim
Four hundred swimmers zipped down the first 3.3km of the Waikato River from the Control Gates to Hipapatua Reserve on Saturday in the 2025 Huka River Swim.
Young footballer off to Barcelona
Oliver Thomas’s 2025 Christmas present has really turned into the gift that keeps on giving.
Watch out there’s crocs on the loose
There’s a rule in journalism that if you write a story about how dry the weather has been, it will invariably rain.
Danny needs a home
Hello to my new parents, thank-you for choosing me! My name is Danny, I'm the only boy! I am black with a little streak of white on the front of my chest and I’m at Taupō SPCA.
Love and money in the aisles
Romance and finance have both blossomed for a young couple who work at Taupō Pak’nSave.
Global bike film festival begins in Taupō
In its 11th year, The Big Bike Film Night celebrates cycling in all its glorious shapes and forms and begins its national and global tour in Taupō on February 19.
Great art arrives in small packages
A tightly woven yet delicate harakeke poi created by Darlene Fay Walters has claimed first prize in the inaugural Ngati Tūwharetoa-led art awards.
A feast of food and kapa haka
Flash floods and strong winds couldn't stop 800 free hāngi packs being given away at the Ruia Taitea festival on the weekend.
Wastewater floods into Waikato River
Last week’s flash flooding has raised several concerns over infrastructure in Taupō, including stormwater drains overwhelmed, and treated wastewater overflowing into the Waikato River.
Flip, flop, boom
A Taupō man who was struck by lightning near Kinloch during Friday’s heavy thunderstorms says it hasn’t put him off venturing outside during a thunderstorm but he will be more cautious about what he chooses to lean against and will definitely be wearing his jandals.
An hour of destruction
Houses were flooded, a man was struck by lightning and streets were inundated with floodwaters in an hour-long deluge across lakeside communities on Friday night.
Inaugural iwi-led art awards set to stun
The longevity, resilience, innovation and sustainability of Ngāti Tūwharetoa are encapsulated in the theme for the inaugural iwi-led art awards.
Locky Docks bring cycle security
Road bikes, mountain bikes, e-bikes, BMX bikes - no matter the bicycle, people can now lock up and charge for free in the Taupō CBD. The days of lugging a bike lock around are over with Locky Dock stations popping up all over New Zealand. The new stations being installed in Taupō are a first in the Central Plateau.
Cactus course sharpens young minds
Sergeant Shane McNally has been at the pointy end of proactive policing for the past 12 years. Next week Sgt McNally will kick off the 20th Cactus Programme to be held in Taupō. He has been involved in every one of them and has seen about 530 young people pass through it in that time.
Taupō schools not immune to staff shortages
Taupō is not immune to the national teacher shortage, says the Taupō Principal’s Association, but local schools are working hard to hire the best teachers for their students.
New mosque planned for Taupō
In the space of a decade, the Taupō Muslim community has outgrown its small and humble masjid (mosque) on the corner of Kaimanawa and Tamamutu Streets. They are planning to replace the current building with a two-storey house of worship.
Speed limit changes proposed for Taupō-Tūrangi route
The Taupō-Tūrangi road corridor is back in the news – though this time not for a road closing crash. Consultation is now open on the coalition government’s announcement that speed limits dropped in 2020 will revert to 100km/h on several of the country’s highways.
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