Turangi is a small town on the west bank of the Tongariro River

Tongariro River

The Tongariro River is a river in the North Island of New Zealand. It originates in the Central Plateau of the North Island where it is fed by numerous Tributaries that flow off the surrounding hill ranges and mountains such as Mount Ruapehu...

, 50 kilometres south-west of Taupo

Taupo

Taupo is a town on the shore of Lake Taupo in the centre of the North Island of New Zealand. It is the seat of the Taupo District Council and lies in the southern Waikato Region....

 on the North Island Volcanic Plateau

North Island Volcanic Plateau

The North Island Volcanic Plateau is a volcanic plateau covering much of central North Island of New Zealand with volcanoes, lava plateaus, and crater lakes....

 of New Zealand

New Zealand State Highway network

The New Zealand State Highway network is the major national highway network in New Zealand. Just under 100 roads in both the North and South Islands are State Highways...

. It was built to accommodate the workers associated with the Tongariro hydro-electric power development project

Tongariro Power Scheme

The Tongariro Power Scheme is a 360 MW hydroelectricity scheme in the central North Island of New Zealand. The scheme is currently operated by state-owned electricity generation company Genesis Energy....

 and their families. The town was designed to remain as a small servicing centre for the exotic forest plantations south of Lake Taupo

Lake Taupo

Lake Taupo is a lake situated in the North Island of New Zealand. With a surface area of , it is the largest lake by surface area in New Zealand, and the second largest freshwater lake by surface area in geopolitical Oceania after Lake Murray ....

 and for tourists. It is well known for its trout

Trout

Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...

 fishing and calls itself "The trout fishing capital of the world".