I will be staying at Wairakei Resort on Lake Taupo (NZ) for a conference in late May and wondered if I should try SUPing on the lake. Any recommendations for locations and SUP hire?
If you want end up with ice blocks on your feet go ahead 
Mate that water is really cold even in summer 
Select to expand quotetowball said...
If you want end up with ice blocks on your feet go ahead Mate that water is really cold even in summer
Soft TB soft
Love Taupo and the lake. Yeah the waters cold but no biggie. Early mornng through the mist would be magic. I'd head across the lake from main part of town to Acacia Bay. Stunning scenery. Maybe grab a coffee and snack and head back or meet the family over there and drive back. If you're on the South Island near Christchurch id paddle at Akaroa famous for the tiny little Dolphins can't recall the type but it's be very cool.
Gday,
Lake Taupo is awesome, get back there as often as i can, its my hometown before moving to AUS 28 yrs ago. and like said above Acacia bay is just an amazing place 5 mins drive away. My uncle has just sold his place and moved back into town...stupid move.
try this place http://www.boatinglaketaupo.co.nz/sups.html and search on facebook SUP Taupo and message them and have a chat. My aunty hired a board on the lake just a couple of weeks ago so its definitely possible to have a SUP on the lake.
Also these guys, not sure if they hire though www.boardridersnz.co.nz/
Cheers
Thanks guys - I may need to postpone my flight home so I have more time! (I'll take my booties for the cold water.)
Select to expand quoteKTD said..
Love Taupo and the lake. Yeah the waters cold but no biggie. Early mornng through the mist would be magic. I'd head across the lake from main part of town to Acacia Bay. Stunning scenery. Maybe grab a coffee and snack and head back or meet the family over there and drive back. If you're on the South Island near Christchurch id paddle at Akaroa famous for the tiny little Dolphins can't recall the type but it's be very cool.
Hectors Dolphin? I think..
Yes. Hector dolphins spot on. A few years ago we were there but missed out on the dolphin cruise due to weather. But did see a few from the dock the day we left. Bugger all bw Christchurch and Akaroa but we loved the little French village feel. NZ is awesome.
I hired a 11'6 Nalu last summer from a place a couple of kilometres south of the town centre on the lake shore. They have hire yachts and kayaks as well and a café/bar set up on a dock on the lake. They hire good quality Isups too. They don't seem to have a web site but easy to find - you can't miss their fleet of little hire yachts. I spend a bit of time at Taupo and hired a few Sups there when I became interested in buying a board. Most of the places that hire SUPs have those hollow roto moulded plastic ones. Avoid the hire place at Motuoapa at the Southern end of the Lake like the plague. I hired a roto moulded one off them and discovered it had a leak in it when out on the lake! Taupo is a beautiful place - enjoy it.
That loop is exactly what I did just 2 days ago while I was visiting Taupo. The water was crystal clear and the scenery was lovely. There are some pretty flash houses in the little bays at Acacia Bay worth paddling past. Coffee will need to be before you start or after you finish as there is no shoreline cafe at Acacia Bay. I had booties on and that was fine temperature wise. Enjoy.
Galewarning, what are you paddling to average 9.6 km/h over nearly 1.5 hours but only burn 781 calories!? Using a GPS watch or phone?
On this occasion I was on a surfski 
, so that speed is not as hard to achieve as on my SUP. No idea on the reliability of the calorie burn rate. It's just what my HRM and Garmin 910 comes up with.
Thanks again for all the information. I will definitely set some time aside for a good long paddle. Unfortunately I won't be able to get down to the south island on this trip.
