Diving Guide to Lake Taupo & Freshwater Lakes

About Lake Taupo & Freshwater Lakes

Lake Taupo and New Zealand's freshwater lakes offer a completely different dimension of diving, from volcanic crater lakes to geothermal underwater hot springs and the clearest natural freshwater in the world. Lake Taupo, the largest lake in the southern hemisphere by surface area, fills a volcanic caldera and features submerged petrified forests, geothermal hot springs on the lake floor, and freshwater crayfish called koura. The Rotorua lakes including Rotoiti offer geothermal underwater hot springs, unique bacterial mats, koura, trout, and eels in warm freshwater environments. Lake Wanaka and Lake Hawea in the Southern Alps provide cold, clear alpine lake diving with submerged trees and trout. Lake Manapouri near Fiordland delivers clear, deep diving with underwater limestone cliffs. While Blue Lake near Rotorua holds the record for the clearest natural freshwater in the world at 70 to 80 metres visibility, it is strictly protected and diving is not permitted. Freshwater diving in New Zealand adds volcanic geology, geothermal phenomena, and alpine environments to the country's already extraordinary diving portfolio.

Highlights

• ✓Lake Taupo Motutaiko Island: submerged petrified forest with geothermal hot springs on the lake floor
• ✓Rotorua lakes: geothermal underwater hot springs with unique bacterial mats and freshwater macro life
• ✓Lake Wanaka and Hawea: cold, clear alpine lakes with submerged trees and trout
• ✓Lake Manapouri: clear deep diving with underwater limestone cliffs near Fiordland
• ✓Volcanic crater lake diving in the largest lake in the southern hemisphere by surface area

Getting There

Drive from Auckland approximately 3 hours to Lake Taupo or 4 hours to Rotorua lakes