Mt Ruapehu

SPECTACULAR Mt Ruapehu on New Zealand’s North Island is where the Kiwi locals ski. New Zealand’s biggest ski resort is hiding beneath a cloud blanket when I strap on my snowboard and glide to the base quad chair.

I’m thankful I have a guide to show me around but as we ascend Whakapapa a miracle occurs. We break through the clouds into a world of dazzling white and endless sunshine. Sheer cliff faces stand tall and imposing to my left like European Alps, while beyond Mt Ngauruhoe’s conical summit pokes dramatically through a sea of white. Altogether it is otherworldly and breath-stealing and completely unexpected.

When Aussie snow fanatics think New Zealand we almost always think of the South Island. According to tourism stats, some 60 per cent of skiers who visit Queenstown are Australian. In contrast, around 90 per cent of skiers and boarders on Ruapehu are Kiwis. This is where the locals ski. Fittingly, for such an adventurous bunch their home mountain is an active volcano.

When I make my first descent down Whakapapa I’m banking and gliding down valleys and berms carved by lava flows and whizzing past volcanic rocks the size of mini-vans. Should a siren rent the air, I know to move quickly to higher ground.

Snowboarding down an active volcano elicits a certain amount of additional excitement but it is perfectly safe. The last major eruption on Ruapehu was in 1996 and caused no major injuries. A local river guide assures me it was more of an attraction, with crowds gathering to witness nature’s own fireworks display.

Ruapehu is the largest active volcano in NZ, with three peaks with a crater lake between. When the crater lake heats up it’s a sign that the volcano is waking up and it’s a good day to go souvenir shopping. The volcanic peaks are sacred to the local Maori. Their origin story is much more interesting than the scientific one, involving jilted lovers, warring mountains and self-exile to the coast. On a sunny August day, the beauty that would inspire such passion is abundantly apparent.

Skiing on Ruapehu dates to wooden skis, woollen gloves and the year 1913. Primitive tow lifts were superseded by the first European-built chairlifts in the 1950s. Funding for the flash new lifts was achieved by a collective of keen skiers pooling their dough and the resort remains a public benefit entity today. This means annual profits must be used to constantly improve the resort.

Whakapapa is in the middle of a five-year, $100 million upgrade. Already they’ve added a state of the art snow maker which can spit out snow when it’s 25C and an award-winning cafe, New Zealand’s highest. By next year they plan to open a $25 million gondola which is already the talk of the mountain. Designed by the same company who make Ferraris, it will be heated and have hand-stitched leather seats, Wi-Fi and mood lighting. “I don’t think I’ll want to get off,” my guide says.

Whakapapa has a sister resort called Turoa, which lies on the south western side of Ruapehu. It’s owned by the same company, Ruapehu Alpine Lifts, so you can pick and choose between the two (lift passes include both resorts). Turoa is a mighty resort in its own right. It has the longest vertical drop in Australasia (722m) and New Zealand’s highest chair lift (2322m). The view from the top of High Noon Express is stunning and the ride back down a 4km leg-burner. Both resorts have fans for different reasons. Turoa locals rave about the wide-open bowls and secret powder stashes. It also has a great array of jumps and terrain parks