Head To New Zealand
With the finest skiing in the Southern Hemisphere and a whole load of resorts to choose from, it is no surprise that people head to New Zealand in their thousands between July and October to get in their summer ski fix, work back to back winters, or to make the most of the great conditions. The South Island is generally known as the skier’s paradise, home to crazy Queenstown, beautiful Wanaka and top resorts such as Cardrona, Treble Cone and Mt Hutt. However, while thousands of backpackers, Brits on working holiday visas and Asian tourists flock to these destinations, the resorts on the North Island remain the Kiwi’s own best-kept secret.
North Island ski field of Turoa
I recently had the opportunity to snowboard at the North Island ski field of Turoa, and having spent time previously in Queenstown and Wanaka, it had a lot to live up to and I didn’t know exactly what to expect. New Zealand in general was amazing: the ability to ski over our summer, the sheer beauty of it all, empty roads and complete quiet. I stayed in the closest town to Turoa, Ohakune which had a really strong community of locals and hardcore seasonnaires. Unlike the transient South Island towns, it seemed like people in Ohakune came back year after year to work and ski there, or had grown up in the area which gave it much more of a feel of a real town.
Mt Ruapehu
The Turoa ski field is based on an active volcano: Mt Ruapehu, which conveniently erupts around every 10 years and last went off in 2007 (good to know when visiting in 2017). It is the highest point in the Tongiriro National Park, an amazing, world-renowned area of outstanding natural beauty. It draws in many hikers over the summer months but surprisingly fewer people go there to ski. The drive up to the ski field from Ohakune is simply stunning. A winding road climbs higher and higher through layers of forest until eventually getting above the trees and into the snow.
Turoa Terrain
The terrain at Turoa was next level. Compared to the relatively tame, family-friendly runs throughout the South Island resorts, Turoa had so many amazing features. From gullies and naturally formed playgrounds of jumps, pipes and drop-offs to steep backcountry sections and amazing runs off to the side where you feel like the only person on the mountain. The snow was great too as a storm had just passed through the previous week, creating a perfect base for the rest of the season.
I asked our New Zealand resort manager Andrew what it was about Ohakune and Mt Ruapehu which kept him coming back year after year (it is now his 9th season working here). For him it was easy. He did a season teaching snowboarding in Wanaka before discovering Turoa. Once he had experienced it on a bluebird day, riding the wild terrain carved out by volcanic activity over the millennia, he was sold. “There are chutes and gullies everywhere. It has a super surfy feel which just makes you want more. Ohakune too, it isn’t your typical ski town. It has all the right elements, with great people and a really down to earth feel. That’s why I keep coming back.”
For me, Ticket To Ride is all about adventure. Going not where everyone else goes, but where everyone should go. Ohakune and Turoa was the authentic kiwi experience to the Disneyland that is Queenstown and the South Island resorts. Everyone was so friendly, loving life and passionate about skiing and snowboarding. That for me is the perfect place to spend a UK summer.
Snowboarding instructor course in New zealand