New Zealand has some serious mountains and a fantastic ski scene. Because the ski season in New Zealand runs from July to October, loads of keen skiers from the Northern Hemisphere use the summer snow to fuel their habit year round. Skiing in NZ is always a cool experience, with some "interesting" access roads and many of the club fields giving good, affordable and friendly skiing. While parked at a resort just watch out for the native Kia - a bird with a taste for windscreen wipers and rubber!
Ski New Zealand Guide
New Zealand North Island Skiing
Skiing on the North Island of New Zealand is principally on the slopes of volcanoes, with the most recent eruption at Mt Ruapehu being severe enough to close the ski resort. In 1995 Mt Ruapehu blew big time making that season a bit of a write off unless you were into ash skiing!
The biggest and most dangerous volcano in New Zealand and the world, is actually Lake Taupo which is New Zealand's largest lake, and is located in the centre of the North Island. This volcano last erupted in the year 186 AD, and erupts approximately once every 2000 years. This eruption was over 50 times the magnitude of the Mt St Helen's eruption!
The main place to head for in New Zealand's North Island for skiing is the town of Ohakune from where you ski either Turoa or Whakapapa (both of which make up Mt Ruapehu). This is a cool town with a good vibe for folk doing ski seasons. The skiing in the North Island tends to be good later than in the South Island, and although the weather and erruptions can put a dampner on things sometimes the skiing can be pretty awsome and some of the terrain formed by volcanic activity is pretty unique! The scenery around the tops of the volcanoes is also pretty difficult to dismiss, so even if you're heading to the South Island for your ski season it'd be a shame not to pay a visit to the North Island ski resorts as its definitely a trip you won't forget!
New Zealand South Island Skiing
New Zealand's South Island is where the majority of the ski resorts are to be found. Most people either fly into Christchurch or fly to Auckland and then drive / hitch / bus. The main places to base yourself for skiing in the South Island are Wanaka, Queenstown, Christchurch, or Methven. Of all of these, the best vibe is probably Wanaka. Those basing themselves in Wanaka that want to spend time jibbing should head for SnowPark NZ, Cardrona is great for beginners and rail-lovers, while Treble Cone offers some of the best steeper skiing terrain in NZ and is the resort of choice for many good kiwi skiers. There are also the Queenstown resorts of The Remarkables and Coronet Peak which both offer good skiing - Coronet Peak being better for families / The Remarkables offering some good skiing for intermediate and advanced skiers.
NZ Club Fields & Nutcracker Tows
If you're heading to New Zealand skiing, you've got to visit at least one Club Field - these small resorts are a pretty unique experience where usually there are just a couple of really long rope tows that you get up using a 'nut-cracker' and harness. Some of New Zealand's best skiing can be found at these often tiny resorts - Craigieburn, Broken River, Porter Heights... some of the club fields have reached full-on cult status in the skiing world - go and check them out for a few days! Its unclear whether the rope tow mechanisms are called nut-crackers because they look like the device you use to open nuts or whether this is what happens to the guys when they get their timing wrong when using them! You ideally need glove protectors to stop the ropes ripping your gloves apart and get a quick lesson in nut-cracker usage from one of the club members when you get there. Make sure you're not wearing loose clothing, don't put your hands in the pulleys, and don't whap yourself in the nads when you let the nut-cracker go at the top of the tow - take it from me... it hurts!!
