KEY POINTS:
I'm standing knee-deep in the tumbling torrents of the Tongariro River, casting a hopeful wet fly on an expectant leader from a trusty seven-weight rod. I'm looking to catch a fine rainbow trout for dinner.
When the trout strikes it's as fast as a tuna fish.
The finned fighting machine makes a headlong rush, stripping line off my screaming reel.
I apply pressure, and see a bright flash of speckled pink belly in the sunlight as the big fish becomes airborne, before dashing downstream in a desperate bid to escape. The tactical battle to land the flighty fish takes 10 minutes but feels like an eternity.
This is the wondrous waterway novelist Zane Grey dubbed the Angler's Eldorado. It is literally "Spot-X" on the map of the known fly-fishing universe, and legend has it the fish are so big that when you catch one the river level drops. I'm simply privileged to be here.
The endless rumblings and murmurings of the river, the sighs and fidgets of the wind, the sweet songs of the tui and the gentle swoosh of the fly-line snaking over the current keep me in a euphoric state for two hours, my reverie undisturbed by the intrusion of more magnificent fighting fish.
But our guide Brent catches a fish for my friend Simon and we enjoy a beguiling time on the river.
I fully appreciate the age-old fisherman's tale that the gods do not deduct time spent fishing from one's allotted lifespan.
Off the river we enjoy a strapping lunch at the popular Licorice Cafe at Motuoapa, before heading to look at granddaddy trout in the viewing chamber at the National Trout Centre.
Conservation educator Mike Munson feels right at home beside the kids' fishing pool and his 5000 frisky, 2-year-old finny friends.
His "Taupo For Tomorrow" programme gives year 1 to 13 students a grasp of ideas such as sustainability and teaches them a fun activity where they get to catch, smoke and eat a delicious trout.
My dawn awakening in an Oreti Village apartment on Lake Taupo's southern shore is memorable.
The lake lies smooth and serene at my feet, enclosed in a necklace of mist-shrouded valleys.
Today I'm traversing a much smaller lake with Pure Ora Walks guide, Ngahuia Tahau, who revels in the scenic beauty and heritage of Lake Rotopounamu.
This little gem nestles under the flanks of Pihanga, the ancient volcano that dominates the Turangi landscape and whose mythical marriage to Tongariro drove off a clutch of jealous lovers, such as Taranaki, to distant lands.
The lake is a colourful montage of beech forest, towering podocarps, such as rimu and kahikatea, and prolific ferns.
I'm fascinated to learn that a marae at nearby Lake Rotoaira was the origin of the Ka Mate Ka Mate haka performed by the All Blacks.
The famous warrior Te Rauparaha was hidden in a kumara pit here while a chief's wife stood over it. Maori custom demanded that a warrior should not place himself under a woman, so the attackers did not search the pit.
Te Rauparaha emerged triumphant with the immortal cry, "Live, live, die, die - I'm climbing up - the sun is shining", the simple words of the emotive haka.
A surprise awaits me at Tongariro Lodge, a 28-unit facility tucked out of sight in a forested area above the river delta. Manager Wayne Enoka is an enthusiastic promoter of the Southern Lake "Adventure Central" concept.
Over an excellent meal I also learnt of the huge importance of the Tongariro Fishery.
He said: "Our head fishing guide can do 80 days straight in summer, overseeing visiting anglers.
"On a typical day he will contract 15 other guides and five helicopters to meet the demand."
Next day, Lake Taupo assumes its other guise as a brooding, sinister giant, building up for a forecasted storm.
Wouldn't you just know it, I'm going mountain biking in Tree Trunk Gorge.
Superfit Tommo is my riding companion on this 10km jaunt through stunning beech forest, numbingly cold streams and "undulating" single track.
One dispiriting killer hill is affectionately known as Three Minute Hill, which I start to question after I've been pushing upwards for more than 10 minutes.
"Oh, we call it that because we wish it was only three minutes," Tommo cheerfully informs me.
My return to the delights of Turangi coincides with the storm, which is reason enough to stop adventuring and sip pinot gris over a blazing fire in the Tongariro River Estate restaurant.
It's symptomatic of the increasing sophistication of the Southern Lake area that cold-climate wine vineyards are flourishing here.
Other wineries offer cellar door sales, sampling and cafe dining on the western lake shores at Pukawa, Omori and Kuratau.
The proposed Taupo bypass on State Highway 1 should bring new business as Turangi will become an important food and fuel stop.
One proven way to work off a post-prandial, wine-induced lethargy is to scramble up the 15m indoor climbing wall at the Extreme Backpackers' Vertical Assault.
I tenaciously focus on the singular objective of mastering a grade-14 climb but fate has decreed that today not only will I fall off a mountain bike and into a freezing river but I will fall off a climbing wall as well.
By sheer willpower I somehow latch on to the wall again thinking positive Spider-Man thoughts and make it to the top, with my heart kabooming alarmingly.
On my final morning, fortified by a substantial Oreti village breakfast, I take a casual kayak paddle on the Tokaanu Stream.
Tui and Rod Brown of Wai Maori Adventures have a range of white-water rafting trips and also a pleasantly relaxing circuit down the stream, around the lake shore and back, which sounds like just the ticket for a spring-time paddle.
I head home along the Western Lake Rd musing on the variety of earthly pleasures in this part of New Zealand - the inspirational beauty of Tongariro National Park, the blissfully challenging thrill-seeker adventures of the Turangi area and the family fun at the National Trout Centre.
There's also pure indulgence on tap, with all the comfort bases covered by fine lodges, restaurants, cafes and, of course, the ultimate soak and sizzle centre at Tokaanu Hot Springs.
I'll be coming back to Adventure Central real soon - it's just so totally addictive.
Paul Rush visited Taupo/Turangi courtesy of Destination Taupo.
