Family break in Taupo
Tight budgets and eco-concerns mean a family jaunt to Fiji is on hold. But where to take the kids for a warm, water-soaked weekend? After assessing the options, the Heeringa family pick Taupo as their new Fiji
Photos by Sarah Heeringa
Despite numerous fishing expeditions—some by boat, others around the rocks at dawn—our family has never caught a fish. Not one, ever.
Our kids call it the ‘Heeringa fishing curse’.
Top of the agenda this weekend is a visit to the Huka Prawn Park, on the banks of the Waikato River, for a spot of prawn fishing.
“Shooting fish in a barrel,” declares Levi, our 14-year-old. I reckon that sounds quite hard, but the park represents our best chance.
After a hatchery tour we head out with rods, bait and buckets of iced water. There are 25,760 prawns in our chosen pond, but none are biting. We move to the pond’s far end, near the warm inlet pipe. The spot is popular with prawns—evident when the couple beside us soon catch several of the little beggars—but we have no luck.
Clearly, it’s time to retire for lunch.
The park’s restaurant has floor-to-ceiling windows and a large deck that make the most of fabulous river views. A large circular fireplace in the centre is stacked with logs ready to combat autumnal chills. The restaurant is another popular spot—it serves about 80,000 meals annually.
Between the prawns eaten on-site and those bought to take away, the restaurant sells up to 30 kilograms daily. “Visitor demand means we can’t supply more than a few local restaurants,” says marketing manager Karen Rainbow, who’s joined us for lunch.
Our meal is devoured with relish: a generous prawn platter, spicy prawn curry, a fresh prawn Caesar salad, and hot chips for younger, less adventurous palates. Prawn shells are collected in a bucket to later be fed to pigs. “Prawns are weird but yummy,” says Theodore, our eight-year-old.
The prawns we’re enjoying are giant Malaysian freshwater prawns (Macrobrachium rosenbergii). One female can produce up to 50,000 eggs, spawns up to five times per year and her offspring can be harvested at eight months old.
Raising them commercially helps relieve the pressure on dwindling wild stock. Even better, the prawn park warms its ponds using waste geothermal heat from the power station next door. Doing this with electricity would cost around $50,000 a day.
Now 21 years in operation, the park is increasingly moving towards sustainable tourism practices. All herbs and salad greens are grown on-site, and recently purchased adjacent land will soon be converted to vegetable plots and an orchard, where fruit can be grown without sprays or other unwanted additives.
“We already use the sludge [aka ‘prawn poo’] from ponds around the park,” explains Karen. “Soon we’ll have a major composting area, so all waste can be mulched, treated and returned to the gardens as fertiliser.”
Back at the pond, we bait our lines and relax by the water’s edge. Several sharp tugs on the end of Toby’s line, a deft flick of the rod and … prawntastic! Our very first catch.
Eco Chic in Taupo
Stay …
at the Lake Taupo Top 10 Holiday Resort (28 Centennial Drive, off Spa Road). Not dedicated eco-accommodation, but the herb gardens near the communal kitchens are a nice touch. A quick recce reveals loads to do: a giant chess board, volleyball and basketball courts, pedal-powered go-karts, a huge jumping pillow and several thermal pools. All relatively low on environmental impact, but big on fun. The kids have a blast. High-speed go-kart racing comes to an abrupt end when speed wobbles lead to a crash, but a quick recovery sees Theo rejoin an assorted gaggle of kids on the jumping pillow the next morning. If you haven’t seen a jumping pillow, think giant inflated wine bladder surrounded by sand. Why hadn’t someone invented them when I was eight?
Walk …
to the Huka Falls Spa Park, following the fine white-chip path from the Spa Thermal Park off County Ave. The track meanders through bush and follows the river to the falls. There are a few steep bits, but the path is wide and smooth (those with toddlers could take a mountain buggy). Along the way we’re rewarded with snatches of birdsong, glimpses of the swift emerald water below and at one point the pluty Huka Lodge on the opposite riverbank. Huka Falls is New Zealand’s most visited spot. It’s easy to see why as we stand mesmerised by the thundering white water. After the obligatory family photos, the boys entertain themselves by dropping twigs off the bridge and watching as they’re sucked into the churn. The walk takes around two hours return, not including time at the falls.
Stop …
at The Honey Hive, just minutes from the Huka Falls on Karetoto Road. Call in for free honey tastings, live bee displays and organic bee products. It’s a great place to stock up. There’s pohutukawa honey from Rangitoto Island, manuka honey from the Coromandel and lavender honey from Ashburton. Honeys are sourced wherever the plants grow in abundance. At the Bees Knees Cafe we indulge in delicious Kapiti ice creams before checking out the confidence course at Rock’n Ropes next door (booking ahead is essential). “We take kids from seven years up,” says course operator Glenn Abel, “and once a 76-year-old. It’s all about your willingness to grapple with a challenge.” Mmm, inspirational. Pity I’m busy right now with my manuka honey, pear and chocolate ice cream.
Eat …
organic meals and Toasted Espresso fair trade coffee at the Fine Fettle cafe, in Paora Hapi Street. Mussel Chowder, Buckwheat Pancakes and Quark Cheesecake are popular choices. But be warned, Taupo’s only dedicated organic cafe closes at 4pm (3pm on Sundays). The Huka Prawn Park is another great lunch option. Set in the North Island’s volcanic heart, flanked by forests and surrounded by an increasing number of dairy farms, the Taupo plateau is more cheeseboard than fruit bowl. Our cabin at Top 10 is self-catering, so we’d stocked up on fruit and veggies at roadside stalls on the trip down. Homeward bound, with a car full of tired kids and the long drive ahead, we swing by BP’s Wild Bean Cafe for two fair trade flat whites for the road.
