Located in the Central Plateau of NZ’s North Island, Mt Ruapehu is an easy drive from the nation’s main centres of Auckland & Wellington and tourist hotspots such as Taupō, Rotorua & Tauranga.
The closest airport to both Whakapapa and Tūroa is Taupō's domestic airport.
An easy drive from most North Island towns
Whakapapa is right in the middle of the North Island, an easy drive from Auckland, Wellington & most other North Island cities & towns. Head over for an easy short or long winter break!
Once you're in the region you'll find it well serviced by the local villages of National Park & Whakapapa Village. From Whakapapa Village you're only a short 6km drive up a fully sealed road to the ski area or catch a local shuttle if needed - it's the easiest mountain road in NZ! Or head to Turangi or Taupo for a lakeside town experience a little further afield.
The closest airport to Whakapapa is Taupō's domestic airport, with a 1 hour 20 min drive.
Tūroa is an easy drive away from the main centres of Auckland & Wellington for a short or long winter break. It's also a pretty quick day trip from a lot of North Island towns including Napier, Hastings, Palmerston North and Taupo.
At the base of the Tūroa access road you'll find the North Island's most popular ski resort town, Ohakune, which is well serviced with a great range of accommodation, activities, restaurants, cafes and bars. It's easy to get to by bus or train so you don't need your own car to get here! From there, catch a local shuttle or drive up the Ohakune mountain road.
The closest airport to Tūroa is Taupō's domestic airport, with a 2 hour drive or Palmerston North with a 2 hr 20 min drive.
No one knows how to drive our mountain roads better than Subaru! Click below for some safe winter driving tips.
When vising us, we encourage you to carpool helping us to lower our carbon emissions in the Dual Heritage National Park and also help more people enjoy the mountains.
If you are driving up the mountain and have some spare seats or are looking for a seat, we'd encourage you to use carpool services such as Snowriders.nz! They will put you in touch with people who can help you get up the mountain or people who need your help to enjoy the slopes. This allows you and others all to enjoy the maunga!
