Turoa together with Whakapapa make up North Island's Mt Ruapehu ski area.  Turoa and Whakapapa (pronounced Fakapapa) have excellent skiing and the small town of Ohakune is one of the few obvious places (alongside Wanaka) to base yourself doing a ski season in New Zealand. 

The skiing can be affected by erruptions of the volcano and also by the weather which can be quite fickle, however the skiing at Turoa can last well into the Northern Hemisphere's autumn with good spring skiing conditions not being unusual into Octr and sometimes as late as New Year!

Turoa has some great and diverse terrain with some big, long runs as well as volcanic features such as lava gullies & drop-offs.  Its well worth a trip to the Mangaehuehu Glacier and a walk to the crater lake followed by freshies on the way down!
 

Like Whakapapa, the beginner area at Turoa (Alpine Meadow) is separate to the main ski area, so beginners can learn in a safe environment.  For better skiers, Turoa has 2 lift-accessed off-piste areas that rock with good snow.

Like many resorts in New Zealand in the last few years, Turoa has been investing heavily in snowmaking and also has a great new 6 man high speed chair.  During summer '06, Turoa spent $19 million on the ski area ensuring it should be a safe bet for Southern Hemisphere skiing for a long time to come!