TRAVEL
Mt Ruapehu
Being avid snowboarding lovers, my husband and I decided it was finally time to introduce our kids to this exhilarating sport. Turoa was our first option as it has a bigger playing field and more accommodation options with the small town of Ohakune right at the base of the mountain. We stayed at the LKNZ Lodge and backpackers, and unfortunately when I booked, I overlooked the work ‘Backpackers’. LKNZ was exactly what you would expect from a typical backpackers. It’s a great option for younger people that just want to drink, have some fun, and meet new travellers. But unfortunately just not ideal for a family with young children... So after a terrible night sleep, it was off to spend the day on Turoa Ski Field. Starting on the beginner slopes, the kids took to it surprisingly well, and by afternoon they were keen to venture up the chairlifts to some serious terrain!
It was an amazing couple of days spent snowboarding, sleeping, and not a lot else. By the end of it, we were all exhausted but happy to get back to our Raglan home, away from the rowdy house of twenty-somethings. A few weeks later, we decided to try out the other side of the mountain – Whakapapa. We booked accommodation right in the heart of the village, and only ten minutes from the ski field. The beautiful 100-year-old Chateau being the biggest attraction to the village, we stayed just behind it at the Skotel, a motel much more suited to our family’s needs! It had an onsite restaurant and bar, plus handy ski gear hire. Not to mention, the breakfast was delicious, I had their smashed avo every morning. As we made our way up the mountain, I was happy to see they had the Sky Waka (gondola). During our last trip to Turoa, I had discovered an intense fear of chairlifts that I had never had before, so the enclosed and sturdier gondola became my best friend. It relieved a lot of the anxiety that I had previously felt on the chairlift,
