Today I visit the Aratiatia Dam. It's about 10 minutes North of the city of Taupo and it's definitely worth stopping by to see. The rush of water is amazing! The river looks deep, empty and rocky with just a trickle of water running through it. Then the gates open to let out a huge amount of water that rushes down the Waikato River. Soon you are faced with beautiful blue water rising and roaring down the river. This is also the film location for The Hobbit movie.
There are three viewing platforms. first one is on the bridge. The second one is just a 5-minute walk down a beautiful bush trail. And the third is just a couple of more minutes up the hill. I went to the second platform to get this shot. I think it's a great spot to see the water coming towards you. But on the bridge is great too. If you have time, you can see it from both locations as the gates are open every 2 hours.
As always, you can see how this photo was made on my YouTube page.