Taupo (pop. 19,000), at the northeast corner of the lake, is still a relatively young town, having grown to its present size only since the 1950s. Its growth was stimulated by the construction of new roads, the development of the volcanic plateau by redeforestation with pines, the harnessing of geothermal energy and above all by tourism. The lake
, in which Californian rainbow trout have flourished since the late 19th C., has become a popular holiday destination. It also makes a pleasant stopover on the journey from Wellington to Auckland. Numerous hotels, motels, holiday houses and motor camps cater for visitors; many of them have their own swimming pools of thermal water.
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