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.
If you are driving to us and are looking to park your vehicle on mountain please read these important details:
Enure you have booked a space if required.
Please check the REPORT prior to arrival for the road status (open - no restrictions) (closed - spaces full) (chains or 4WD required etc)
This will help you decide whether you can drive up the mountain road and if your vehicle is suitable or if you need to make alternative arrangements.
If you need snowchains, please note these are not available for hire and will need to be purchased in advance.
All day parking is available on mountain.
If you are planning your visit and looking to park your vehicle on mountain at Whakapapa or Turoa:
You will need to book a parking space if arriving during the peak hours of 7am - 10am on Saturday 26th or Sunday 27th September 2020.
Bookings operate on a first come first served basis & will open at 10am & 6pm on Wednesday 23rd September for the following weekend.
Your booking can be adjusted via your confirmation email link.
Bookable parking will then end for the season from Monday 28th September 2020 and revert back to first come first served in the mountain car parks.
RAL will not be operating public shuttles during the 2020 season.
Therefore anyone requiring shuttle transportation will need to book a shuttle directly with the induvidual operators. Click the link to see the full list, advance booking is advised.
For Whakapapa: A Park and Ride Centre is available with all day free parking in National Park. The majority of prebooked shuttles will pick up here - Click Here for directions.
Parking within Whakapapa Village (by The Chateau Tongariro) is now limited to 3 hour free parking.
For Turoa: Shuttles can be prebooked from the induvidual providers and pick up from numerous places throughout Ohakune.
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!
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 - it's the easiest mountain road in NZ!
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.
