Taupiri

Taupiri
Town
2010 view of Taupiri and the Waikato, with Kakepuku and Mount Pirongia in the background
Coordinates: 37°37′S 175°11′E / 37.617°S 175.183°E / -37.617; 175.183
CountryNew Zealand
RegionWaikato
DistrictWaikato District
Wards
  • Newcastle-Ngāruawāhia General Ward
  • Tai Runga Takiwaa Maaori Ward
CommunityTaupiri Community
Electorates
Government
  Territorial AuthorityWaikato District Council
  Regional councilWaikato Regional Council
  Mayor of WaikatoJacqui Church
  Waikato MPTim van de Molen
  Hauraki-Waikato MPHana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke
Area
  Total
1.73 km2 (0.67 sq mi)
Population
 (June 2024)
  Total
690
  Density400/km2 (1,000/sq mi)

Taupiri is a small town of about 500 people on the eastern bank of the Waikato River in the Waikato District of New Zealand. It is overlooked by Taupiri mountain, the sacred burial ground for the Waikato tribes of the Māori people, located just to the north.

Taupiri is located near the northern end of the Waikato Basin immediately south of the junction of the Mangawara Stream (which drains the northern part of the basin) and the Waikato River. The Waikato River then flows northward through the Taupiri Gorge between the Hakarimata Range to the south and the Taupiri Range to the north, into the Lower Waikato.

The North Island Main Trunk railway line runs through the town and the gorge, linking Huntly 8 kilometres to the north and Ngāruawāhia 7 kilometres to the south. State Highway 1 also ran through the town until the Huntly Bypass opened in March 2020.