Craters of the Moon: Taupo Travel Guide (4.3★)

Steam on a scrubby hillside

The ground here is still rearranging itself. Craters of the Moon sits at 171 Karapiti Road in Wairakei, and much of what you walk past is younger than the boardwalk’s oldest visitors. When the nearby Wairakei geothermal power station began drawing off underground water in the 1950s, pressure below shifted. Hot steam then punched new hydrothermal craters through the surface.

The result is a valley of pale, collapsed pits with steam rising out of them, set among low mānuka and kānuka scrub. You will smell sulphur in the air. Unlike the big Rotorua parks, there are no geysers or colour-washed terraces here. It is raw, grey and constantly vaporous, and that is the point.

The loop, step by step

Boardwalks and gravel paths do the work. The main circuit takes most people 45 minutes to an hour at an easy pace, with interpretive signs at the larger craters.

• Main crater basin: the deepest pits, where steam is thickest and the ground is visibly mineral-stained.
• Upper lookout: a short climb off the loop that looks across the steaming valley. Add around 20 minutes.
• Footing: mostly gentle, with some steps on the lookout spur. The flat sections suit most walkers.

Stay on the boardwalk without exception. The crust beside it is thin, and the steam coming through it is hot enough to scald.

Timing your walk at the craters

Steam shows best in cool air. A crisp morning or a winter afternoon gives you dense white plumes. On a hot summer day the vents look thinner, though they’re just as active. Rain doesn’t stop the walk, and it often thickens the steam.

• Hours: currently 9:30am–4pm every day of this week’s schedule. Times can shift through the year, so confirm on the official site.
• Last entry: to walk the full loop before closing, arrive by about 3pm.
• Groups: this is a well-known stop on the Taupō circuit, so arriving soon after opening usually means fewer people on the narrow boardwalk.
• Fees: pay at the entrance kiosk, where the current charges are posted.

Fitting it into a Wairakei morning

You’ll need a car or a tour. Head north from Taupō on State Highway 1 and turn onto Karapiti Road. It is about a 10-minute drive from town, and there is parking at the entrance. No public bus runs to the gate.

Wairakei Park has several stops close together, so plan a half day:

• Huka Falls: the Waikato River squeezes through a rock chute a few minutes’ drive away.
• Aratiatia Rapids: timed dam releases flood the gorge several times a day. Check the release schedule before you go.
• Wairakei Terraces: silica terraces and thermal pools, if you want a soak after the walk.
• Huka Falls Trail: walk or cycle beside the river between the falls and Taupō.

Bring a layer, because the steam turns clammy on cool days. Sunglasses help against the glare off the pale ground. Dogs, bikes and drones aren’t allowed on the boardwalk, so leave them in the car or at home.