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Aratiatia Dam Review

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Aratiatia Dam

Fodor's Review:

The Waikato River is dammed along its length; the first construction is the Aratiatia Dam, 10 km (6 mi) northeast of Taupo (turn right off Highway 5). The river below the dam is virtually dry most of the time, but three times a day (at 10, noon, and 2), and four times a day in summer (Oct.-Mar., also at 4), the dam gates are opened and the gorge is dramatically transformed into a raging torrent. Watch the spectacle from the road bridge over the river or from one of two lookout points a 15-minute walk downriver through the bush. The whole thing lasts 30 minutes, after which the dam gates close, the river subsides, and the gorge returns to serenity.

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