Ohakune
Ohakune is a town of 1,400 people (2020) in the Ruapehu district of the central North Island of New Zealand, adjacent to Tongariro National Park.
Understand
editOhakune is well regarded as a winter destination within New Zealand. It is at the base of Ruapehu mountain and is known as the ski capital of the North Island. Winters are the busy season for Ohakune, attracting skiers from all over New Zealand, Australia and beyond. The town makes a delightful stopover in the summertime too, when visitors are fewer and the walks and hikes around town are inviting, with mountain biking particularly popular.
The town is divided into two parts. The "upper" part, also called the Junction, is around the train station and its vicinity. It is home to a number of lodges, inns and cafes, and is also closest to Tongariro National Park. The lower part of town is larger and contains shops, restaurants, a tourist info center (i-site), as well as a riverside park.
Get in
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By car
editOhakune is on State Highway 49 off Highway 1, about 3.5 hours north of Wellington and 4.4 hours south of Auckland. You can also come in via Highway 4 from Whanganui (1.5 hrs), which is quite twisty but scenic.
By train
edit- Main article: Rail travel in New Zealand
The Northern Explorer has trains three times per week from Auckland or Wellington. The train station is within easy walking distance to lodges and hotels in the upper part of the town.
- 1 Ohakune railway station, Thames St.
By bus
edit- Intercity has a daily service from Auckland and from Palmerston North
Get around
editYou can walk from the upper to the lower part of town in a 45 minutes or so. During the winter, a bus service runs every half hour until the bars close. Other car and taxi services are available during the winter months. Ask at your lodge.
While you can walk along the sidewalks to get from one part of town to another, for better views take scenic walkway along the riverside also connects the two. From the upper part of town, cross the river over the old bridge, then walk 100 metres or so to the trail opening on the left side of Old River Road. Enjoy the swinging pedestrian bridge.
See
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- 1 The World's Largest Carrot (Ohakune Carrot Adventure Park), 4a Rangataua Road. 24 hours daily. A 7.5-m-tall model carrot, originally used in an advert for a bank, then donated to Ohakune in 1984.
- Ruapehu Mountain.
- 2 Ohakune Railway Museum, 52 Thames St (near the station). Th-Su 10AM–2PM. A small volunteer run exhibition, with a slightly random collection of railway equipment and a display on the Tangiwai Disaster (a nearby railway bridge collapsed in 1953 killing 151). Donation.
- 3 National Army Museum, State Highway 1, Waiouru (about 30km east of Ohakune.), ☏ +64 6 387 6911. Daily 9AM-4:30PM. $15.
Do
editParticularly in winter, most visitors come here to ski and snowboard, with Tūroa only 20 minutes away and Whakapapa around 45 min. Conditions permitting, you can self-drive or take a shuttle from town. See Skiing on Mt Ruapehu for the full scoop.
- Walk or hike in Tongariro National Park. The park's entrance and Ranger Station is located on Mountain Road, just north of the train station. The Rimu and Mangawhero Forest are short walks and easily accessible for those staying in Ohakune. If you want to do the famous Tongariro Alpine Crossing, the only shutter service available during off season is Dempsey Buses (a return ticket costs 70 NZD per person, contact them for group discounts). You can reserve the service online or offline at the travel information center. You can also ask the reception of your hostel to reserve the services for you. Alternatively, you can take a bus or train or drive to National Park Village, where there are multiple providers offering shutter service for Tongariro Crossing.
- Skateboard on the half pipe, located along Clyde Street in the lower part of town.
- Ohakune Mountain Road. This 17 km road offers an exhilarating downhill ride with a descent of about 1000 meters and you can enjoy wonderful landscape views of Mount Ruapehu. It is a quite country road and most sections have around 1m–1.5m wide shoulders. You just need some experience with traffic and remember to keep left if you normally drive at the right side of the road in your country. You can catch a shuttle to the Turoa Skifield to start your riding and it will normally finish in 1 hours. If you choose to ride from Ohakune and return back from the top, then it will take about 3 hours and climbing 1000 meters does require some fitness. If that is beyond your fitness level, you can choose to walk in some parts of the route (which requires more time) or use an e-bike. There are also some forest & waterfall walks on the route.
Buy
edit- 1 New World, 12 Goldfinch St, ☏ +64 06 385 8587. daily 7AM - 7:30PM (7PM on Su). Ohakune's only supermarket is well equipped, but gets packed in peak season and can run low on items.
- 2 TCB, 29 Ayr Street, ☏ +64 06 385 8433, info@tcb.nz. 09:00–17:00. You can rent mountain bikes and ski boards here. They also sell outdoor gears for hiking.
- 3 Kune Board and Bike, 27 Goldfinch Street, ☏ +64 02 258 31292. 09:00–17:00. You can rent mountain bikes here. A helmet and basic repair kits are included. The price is slightly cheaper than TCB, e.g. renting a mountain bike for adult for one day costs 50 NZD, while at TCB it will cost 60 NZD (but the price is 50 NZD per day if you rent multiple days at TCB).
Eat
edit- 1 Cyprus Tree, 77 Clyde Street, ☏ +64 6 385 8857. Don't be fooled by the Mediterranean name, this perennially packed family favorite serves up meaty mains. Fireplace & kids' play area.
- 2 Chocolate Eclair Shop, 78 Clyde St. This friendly Filipino bakery is best known for its eponymous eclairs, although Parisian patissiers would hardly recognize these cream-filled puffs slathered with chocolate cake frosting. Try the custard square for something less teeth-shatteringly sweet. Eclairs $4.
Drink
edit- 1 Powderkeg, 194 Mangawhero Tce (bottom of Mountain Road), ☏ +64 6 385 8888, info@powderhorn.co.nz. Memorably described as the place where the party in Ohakune both begins and ends, this wood-paneled joint has a roaring fireplace, a vast selection of drinks and apres-ski vibes.
Sleep
edit- 1 LKNZ Backpackers, 1 Rata St, ☏ +64 6 385 9169. tents $20, beds from $30, rooms from $100.
- 2 YHA Ohakune, 60 Thames St (near the railway station), ☏ +64 6 385 8797. 46-bed hostel in a building built in 1906. bed $28, double room $70.
- 3 Rocky Mountain Chalets, 20 Rangataua Rd, ☏ +64 6 385 9545. 2/3-bedroom self-catering cabins right off SH49, about 500m from town. Not luxurious, but clean, comfortable and well-equipped with private cooking, laundry and ski drying facilities, plus you get access to communal hot tubs and a tiny sauna. 2br chalets from $300 (high season).