Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Major Taupō vegetation fire controlled just in time

David Beck
By David Beck
Multimedia journalist·Taupo & Turangi Weekender·
23 Jan, 2022 11:35 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

A large blaze near a wastewater treatment plant in Taupo prompted evacuations and a large emergency services response. Video / @ANRKE_17 via Twitter / Paula Pardoe / Bailey Nichol / Underground Taupo

A fire that ripped through a 500x500m section of Taupō hillside would have been a lot worse if not for fast-acting council staff and emergency services.

The large blaze, near a Taupō District Council wastewater treatment plant on Rickit St, on Saturday afternoon prompted precautionary evacuations and a large emergency services response.

Fire and Emergency (FENZ) received reports of the fire about 4.45pm on Saturday. Eight fire trucks and one helicopter were on the scene fighting the vegetation fire.

A FENZ spokesperson said crews from Taupō first responded and then transmitted a third alarm.

A fire ripped through about 500x500m of a hillside in Taupō on Saturday. Photo / Supplied
A fire ripped through about 500x500m of a hillside in Taupō on Saturday. Photo / Supplied
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The helicopter left at 9pm, and all road cordons were lifted, with people permitted to return to their homes if they had been evacuated. Eighty per cent of the fire had been put out at that stage, with some hotspots left to manage.

Some fire crew remained overnight to handle the hotspots, and further teams arrived at first light on Sunday to continue assisting. The cause of the fire remains unknown.

Taupō District Council kaiwhakahaere ngā wai e toru/three waters manager Tony Hale says if the fire had gotten much closer to the water treatment plant, it could have "come off much worse".

"Our site contains chemicals, as you would expect, and the scorched area came very close to the methane gas flare and generator fuel tanker," he says.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
A helicopter was used to fight a hillside fire in Taupō. Photo / www.takethemoment.co.nz
A helicopter was used to fight a hillside fire in Taupō. Photo / www.takethemoment.co.nz

"Council staff acted quickly in using fire extinguishers while fire service targeted the scrub fire. Our staff remained on-site and in regular contact with the fire service teams."

Tony says the council and the local community owe a lot to the emergency services involved in fighting the fire.

"We are certainly grateful for the swift action of the emergency services in containing the fire. They were well organised, thoroughly professional and we were impressed with their actions, especially given it was difficult terrain to work in."

Taupō District Council team lead assets/cemeteries Kieran Smith says the fire caused a little damage to about three plaques at the Taupō Cemetery and a few trees were damaged.

Discover more

New Zealand

Taupō blaze near wastewater treatment plant prompts precautionary evacuations

22 Jan 05:48 AM

Taupō thumbs up and thumbs down

20 Jan 01:30 AM

'Culture builds efficiency': Council and iwi to cohabitate new building

19 Jan 07:52 PM

Have a good time but take care this summer around fire

12 Jan 04:00 PM

"We were lucky to avoid major damage thanks to the firefighters' efforts," he spokesperson says.

Recent weather in Taupō, with just 7mm of rain since December 17, meant an extremely dry environment for the fire to develop. However, a lack of wind on the helped prevent the fire from spreading further.

Philip Webb lives on the other side of the Waikato River where he had a good view of the extent of the blaze.

"It was heading in two directions, it spread across the bank and was heading back towards town," he says.

Firefighters spent hours fighting a hillside blaze in Taupō. Photo / Supplied
Firefighters spent hours fighting a hillside blaze in Taupō. Photo / Supplied

"It was a bit of excitement, we had just got home when it started. The wind wasn't blowing, I think that's what saved the whole thing too."

Philip says it was a little scary not knowing where the fire would end up.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Once the helicopter got there they managed to tone it down and the fire guys were able to get up the bank with the hoses. The main thing was the river was right there for the helicopter to use, so it was able to dip the bucket in and go straight up the bank.

"It was pretty impressive seeing that right out the front of the house."

The Bay of Plenty fire district, which includes the Taupō District, moves into a prohibited fire season on January 25.

This change means no open-air fires can be lit within the district, and permits to light fires will not be issued.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Daily PostUpdated

NZ Super Fund-backed Kaingaroa Timberlands expands with Waikato land purchase

01 Jul 05:43 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

Zespri teams up with Dame Lisa Carrington

01 Jul 03:30 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

Compliance concern: Growers oppose proposed geothermal water regulations

01 Jul 12:00 AM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

NZ Super Fund-backed Kaingaroa Timberlands expands with Waikato land purchase

NZ Super Fund-backed Kaingaroa Timberlands expands with Waikato land purchase

01 Jul 05:43 AM

Kaingaroa Timberlands has bought 9200ha of forestry land in South Waikato.

Zespri teams up with Dame Lisa Carrington

Zespri teams up with Dame Lisa Carrington

01 Jul 03:30 AM
Compliance concern: Growers oppose proposed geothermal water regulations

Compliance concern: Growers oppose proposed geothermal water regulations

01 Jul 12:00 AM
Fresh weather warnings issued for BoP

Fresh weather warnings issued for BoP

30 Jun 11:29 PM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP