Skiing on Mt Ruapehu

Mount Ruapehu, within Tongariro National Park, contains the only ski resorts on the North Island of New Zealand.

Understand

At 2,797 m, Mt Ruapehu is the tallest mountain on the North Island. It has three separate ski areas. 1 Whakapapa , on the north side, is the larger of the two and closer to Auckland, while 2 Tūroa on the southwest side is closer to Wellington. Both are operated by the same company. There is also a third independent operation, 3 Tukino , to the east, but it is much smaller.

Skiing at Ruapehu is, quite frankly, rather marginal: snowfall is highly variable, and snow guns can only go so far to make up for the shortfall. Skiing here thus caters mostly to locals, who can make plans at short notice, and most serious skiers make a beeline for the larger, more reliable resorts around Queenstown. On the upside, if the snow gods are in your favor and you find yourself in the area outside the school holidays, you can get some excellent skiing without the crowds at only a fraction of what Australia's resorts charge.

Climate

The ski season at all Ruapehu resorts generally runs from early July until mid-October. Whakapapa's Happy Valley area for beginners has artificial snow and typically opens a little earlier.

Visitor information

• mtruapehu.com

Get in

By car

Whakapapa is 5 hours from Auckland and 1.5 hours from Taupō via State Hwy 1, while Turoa is 4 hours from Wellington along the same road.

Weather conditions permitting, you can drive directly to the resorts. On a good day, there are no restrictions and you can drive straight up in a 2WD; on restricted days, you'll need a AWD/4WD or snow chains. Check the resort's daily condition report, updated at 6:30 AM, to see what's needed.

Alternatively, you can park at National Park Village or Ohakune and take shuttle buses to the resorts.

By train

The KiwiRail Northern Explorer between Auckland and Wellington stops at National Park Village, from where there are shuttles to the slopes.

Get around

Travel between the two resorts requires a lengthy detour and takes at least an hour.

Do

Whakapapa and Tūroa are both well equipped with gear rental, ski schools, cafés selling overpriced, stale pies sitting under heat lamps, etc. It's cheaper to rent gear in town, but then you have to lug it around.

• Whakapapa. July-Sep 9AM-4PM. Located on the northern slope of Mt Ruapehu, Whakapapa is the largest, busier and more beginner-friendly of the two large resorts. Has a large "Happy Valley" area for learners and tends be less windy than Tūroa. Adult pass $99/149 weekday/weekend. (updated Jul 2024)
• Tūroa. July-Sep 9AM-4PM. On the south side of the mountain, Tūroa is the smaller and more challenging of the big two, with only a few blue courses for beginners but plenty of red and black trails. Winds tend to be stronger here and it's not uncommon for the chairlifts to close down at short notice when it gets too gusty. Adult day pass $69/89 weekday/weekend. (updated Jul 2024)

Sleep

Since Ruapehu lies entirely within Tongariro National Park, there is no public accommodation in the park and skiing requires a daily trip up and down the mountain. Most visitors stay at Whakapapa Village, 10 min from the Whakapapa slopes, or at Ohakune 20 min away from Turoa.