Taupō & Tūrangi Herald

28/09/2026

The Taupō Santa Parade is back on thanks to the support of several local businesses.

Easterfest Trust announced last month that it was pulling out of being the main organiser for the event to focus on other charity work, leaving it in doubt.

SB Events managing director Shannelle Barrett is now donating her time and company resources, free of charge, to put the event on.

The parade will take place on December 5.

Sponsorship from MBP Advisory and More FM Taupō 93.6 and the input of Creative Taupō and former organiser Easterfest Trust, means the event will go ahead on December, under the name MBP Advisory Taupō Santa Parade presented by More FM.

27/09/2026

We are looking for the funniest, cutest or just downright weirdest photos of your pets. Post them here and we will publish as many as we can our 8th October edition of Taupō & Turangi News...

If the comments have been switched off it's due to how many awesome images we've already received - thank you!

27/09/2026

27/09/2026

28 September – Ask a Stupid Question Day: Created by teachers to encourage students to voice their ultimate curiosities, because there really are no silly questions.

26/09/2026

🚧 Roadworks on Acacia Bay Road, between Norman Smith Street and Jarden Mile, begin Monday 🚧

📅When: Monday 28 September to Friday 2 October, weather permitting. Work on the road will be carried out daily between 7am and 6pm.

⛔ Traffic impacts: Expect short delays and minor disruptions, with Stop/Go traffic management and temporary detours used during the work times (7am to 6pm). Outside of these hours, Acacia Bay Road will be open as normal.

As always, please follow all signage and directions from onsite staff.

🚧 What's happening: These road strengthening works, being carried out by HEB Construction, are designed to improve the road surface, making it safer and more durable for all road users.

A full reseal of this area will be completed at a later date, and we will provide an update once this work has been scheduled.

Thanks for your patience while we get the job done.

26/09/2026

MARKET CANCELLED THIS SUNDAY 27 SEPTEMBER :(

SO much effort goes into each market day, so both the MC crew and all of our stallholders are very disappointed to have to cancel again this week.

Although the wind is currently looking okay for setup, it is forecast to increase from mid-morning. With gazebos to consider, it’s simply too risky for us to set up and trade.

Fingers crossed this marks the end of our run of windy Sundays and we can look forward to a good stretch of markets ahead!!

Kaz 💚

25/09/2026

She has just returned from the UIPM Obstacle World Championships in China with gold, silver and bronze medals — adding to an international résumé that includes podium finishes in Costa Rica, Sweden and Belgium.

Laura is a mother of two, a quantity surveyor for HEB Construction and her husband Jamie Grant – the Taupō Harbourmaster - is quite a handy engineer who has built an obstacle course in the backyard out of recycled scaffolding.

At just 157cm (5’ 2”), Laura says the hardest thing is leaping onto the monkey bars and now that she is in her 40’s, there is also the need to battle through a few physical niggles here and there.

But there is no stopping her – she was an active child and her children have inherited that trait – so just as well there’s an obstacle course at home...

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25/09/2026

Reupene Wall, a Māori carver with deep roots in the Pūrāpoto region, has completed his first commissioned artwork — an intricately carved tōtara piece created for the new Te Rāhui solar farm east of Taupō.

Reupene has been working on the taonga for about eight months, drawing on traditional symbolism to connect the solar farm's purpose with the land and people.

It is called Hine-Raumati & Hine-Takurua.

"Both sides represent Hineraumati and Hinetakurua, which are the Māori maidens for winter and summer...

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25/09/2026

A Taupō company has used a helicopter to trim trees near live high-voltage powerlines in what it says is a first for New Zealand and milestone for lines companies.
Aerial Arborists Limited uses a specially designed ‘helisaw’, suspended from a helicopter to clear branches away from powerlines.

The milestone was achieved on The Lines Company’s 33kV Kuratau power line through Rotoaira Forest, where vegetation was cleared alongside a high-voltage line without turning power off to customers...

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24/09/2026

What a Goldilocks sort of Monday, not too hot and not too cold. A welcome change from the awful weather and cancellation of last week’s walk.

We arrived at Chateau Tongariro and split into two groups. One to tackle the Ridge Track and then to climb down to, and then follow, the Wairere Stream to the bridge. The other group would take the lower route to the stream, walk upstream and return to the bridge.

The Ridge Track immediately made its intentions clear. Uphill or else pushing through low growing tussock or even better, throw in a few rock fields...

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