Mount Ruapehu

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,

and made the whole experience more enjoyable.

The beginner’s area at Whakapapa was amazing! Very different to the Happy Valley I remember from 10 years ago. They now have lifts to get you down there, and covered escalators to get

you to the top of the beginner's hill. Luckily this time we didn’t spend too much time there, as we had all brushed up on our skills during the last trip.

We had a beautiful first day up the mountain, the

weather was perfect and hardly anybody was around. The top runs were nice and wide, great for the kids.

Unfortunately, the weather packed in for the next two days, and the Waka was closed to my bitter disappointment. Our last day was Saturday, which brought beautiful weather and hordes of people. You could barely get down the mountain without a near crash, so I left the family up there and drove back to Whakapapa Village to do a few of the peaceful nature walks. They were all beautiful with Tawhai Falls walk ending with a stunning waterfall.

We’re lucky the kids have taken snowboarding so well, it could have gone either way. Roll on 2021!

EARLY BIRD TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW FOR THE 2021 WINTER SEASON

WWW.MTRUAPEHU.COM

Girls Weekend!

Whether it’s a Hens Party or just a girls get-together in the Waikato/ Bay Of Plenty area, these ladies have you covered. Check out White Wedding Club for all prop hire and styling, they also offer extras like yoga and botanical workshops to make it a really memorable girls weekend and Raglan Floral Co for DIY Flower Crowns and wedding flowers

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