Taupo, Turangi & Tongariro - Useful Information

Doctors, banks, internet, visitor information centres... even hangover cures and sun burn prevention! You'll find what you are looking for in the Taupo region. Check out our list of services:

Mobility Access

The information in the Taupo Districts Mobility Access brochure shows accessible facilities for people with restricted mobility, sight or hearing impairments in Taupo, Mangakino and Turangi. It covers places such as banks, ATMs, accommodation, dining, parking, public toilets, respite care and medical facilities.

Download the brochure below

Taupo District Mobility Access Brochure
Adobe Acrobat Document: 891 KB, 2.1 minutes @ 56kbps

Emergency and Medical Services

For New Zealand Emergency Services (Police, Fire & Ambulance): Dial 111. If in doubt about whether to ask for ambulance, police or fire (such as in the event of a multi-vehicle traffic accident), always ask for the Fire Service. The fire crews have trained paramedics and can arrange for the other emergency services as required, including organising a rescue helicopter.

Taupo Coastguard: Phone 07 377 0400
Taupo Police, Storey Place: Phone 07 378 6060

Medical Services

Taupo Hospital, Kotare St: Phone 07 376 1000
Taupo Medical Centre, 117 Heuheu St.

Pharmacy

Main Street Pharmacy, cnr Tongariro & Heu Heu Sts
Opening hours: 8.30am - 8.30pm Mon-Fri, 9am-8.30pm Sat-Sun
Phone: 07 378 2636

Dentist

Taupo Dental Centre, 127 Spa Road: Phone 07 378 8005

Optometrist

Visique Taupo Optometrist, 32 Heuheu St, Taupo: Phone 07 378 8770
Taupō Vision Care, 66 Ruapehu St, Taupo: Phone 07 378 7529

Banks

Banking hours in New Zealand are 9am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday.
ANZ Banking Group 42-46 Horomatangi St: Phone 0800 180 921
ASB Bank Ltd Horomatangi St: Phone 0800 803 804
Bank of New Zealand Tongariro St: Phone 0800 800 468
National Bank of NZ Tongariro St: Phone 0800 808 908
WestpacTrust 27 Horomatangi St: Phone 0800 400 600

Visitor Information Centres

All the centres are extremely helpful and can make bookings on your behalf. Call in for advice, information, maps and brochures:

i-SITE Taupo, Tongariro Street: Phone 07 376 0027
i-SITE Turangi, Ohuanga Road, Turangi: Phone 07 386 8999
Tongariro National Park Visitor Centre, Whakapapa Village: Phone 07 892 3729
Experience Taupō, Tongariro Street: Phone 07 377 0704

Dog Friendly Accommodation

Accent on Taupo Motel 310 Lake Terrace
Dunrovin Motel 140 Heuheu St
Gables Motor Lodge 130 Lake Terrace
Catteli’s of Taupo 27 Rifle Range Rd
Lakefront Thermal Motor Lodge 6 Taharepa Rd
Tui Oaks Motor Inn Cnr Lake Terrace & Tui St

Note: Guide dogs are entitled to stay at any motel, hotel, backpackers etc but this list is dog friendly accommodation, having somewhere for dogs to run around, and be safe.

Gay & Lesbian Travel

Gay and lesbian travellers might want to check out Gay and Lesbian Tourism New Zealand PureGayNZ.com, an information gateway for travel and tourism to, from and within New Zealand. Plan, find, book and review your vacation and holiday experience in Pure Gay NZ.

Churches

Below is some information on church services in the Great Lake Taupo region.

Church Services
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Schools

Tongariro School http://tongariro.school.nz/

Internet & Email Facilities

Global Gossip 11 Tuwharetoa St
Central Plateau REAP 73 Titiraupenga St
Computer Shop 15 Tamamutu St
Contact Cyber Cafe 10 Roberts St
Cybershed 117 Tongariro St
Log On 71 Tongariro St

Lock It or Lose It

If you're travelling around in a vehicle ALWAYS take your valuables with you when you leave and ALWAYS lock your vehicle.

Sun

Thanks to a big hole in our ozone layer, spending all day in the New Zealand sun without protection will mean some serious sunburn.

SLIP - on some protective clothing
SLOP - on some sunscreen (SPF 40+)
SLAP - on a hat

Telephones

0800 numbers are free, 0900 charge by the nanosecond and New Zealand's area codes couldn't be simpler:

09 - Auckland and Northland
07 - Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Coromandel Peninsula and Central Plateau (including Taupō)
06 - East Coast, Hawkes Bay, Manawatu, Taranaki
04 - Wellington, Kapati, Hutt Valley
03 - South Island

For international calling, dial 00 + Country Code (i.e. 00 44 = Britain). New Zealand's telephone companies are very generous in offering capped national and international calling charges at weekends. It's worth asking a friendly Kiwi if you can use their residential phone. You can talk for hours and it's only going to cost you a few dollars. Be warned though: calling overseas during business hours costs a fortune. It's worth buying a pre-pay mobile (especially if you're going to remote places) and selling it on to someone when you leave.