Last updated November 2026
Painted walls turn up all through Taupō’s town centre, often down a laneway or a back street rather than on the main road. The Taupō Street Art Trail is the self-guided way to find them: more than 80 murals painted for Graffiato, the Taupō Street Art Festival, which the festival says is New Zealand’s longest-running street art festival.
The festival keeps a free online map that it says marks every current mural, so you can plan your own loop through the central streets. New walls are added each Labour Weekend, when artists from around New Zealand, and sometimes from overseas, come to paint, so the trail keeps changing from one year to the next.
Practical Information
- Location
- Taupō town centre, mostly in the laneways and back streets
- Map
- The festival’s interactive Graffiato map marks the current murals
- Entry
- Free; the murals are on public streets and laneways
- Festival organiser
- Town Centre Taupō, the association of town centre businesses
- Status
- Check the Graffiato map before you go.
About the Taupō Street Art Trail
Graffiato began in Taupō in 2011 as the first street art festival of its kind in New Zealand. The original aim was practical: to reduce tagging. The festival has since grown well beyond that, and both its organisers and Love Taupō, the regional tourism organisation, describe it as the longest-running event of its type in the country.
The festival is delivered by Town Centre Taupō, which represents businesses in the town centre. The festival has an artistic director, and over the years it has built up a collection of more than 80 murals.
Because new murals are added each year, the festival keeps an interactive map that it says marks every current mural, and that map is the best guide to what you will find.
Walking the Trail
Most of the murals are tucked into the laneways and back streets of the central business district, so it pays to step off the main roads. The interactive map lets you string together the walls that interest you.
The festival also publishes walking maps from past festivals that can be downloaded from its website. They show the walls painted in each year, which is useful if you want to follow one festival’s artists, but they may not reflect later changes, so check them against the current map.
The Festival
Graffiato is held every Labour Weekend. Artists from around New Zealand, and sometimes from overseas, paint new walls over the weekend, and the results join the collection around the town centre.
Where to Learn More
Graffiato: Taupō Street Art Festival: Map: the interactive map of the murals currently in place.
Graffiato: Event Info: how the festival began and who runs it.
Graffiato: Walking Maps: downloadable maps from past festivals.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are the murals in Taupō?
Mostly in the laneways and back streets of the town centre. The festival’s online map marks the current ones.
How many murals are there?
The festival has built up a collection of more than 80 murals.
Does it cost anything to walk the trail?
No. The murals are on public streets and laneways.
Who paints the murals?
Artists from around New Zealand, and sometimes from overseas, who take part in Graffiato, the Taupō Street Art Festival.
When did Graffiato start?
In 2011. It was the first street art festival of its kind in New Zealand.
Why was the festival started?
Originally to reduce tagging in the town centre. It has since grown well beyond that.
When is the festival held?
Every Labour Weekend, when new walls are painted.
Is there a printed or downloadable map?
The festival publishes downloadable walking maps from past festivals, and an interactive map of the current murals on its website.
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