Turoa
Encyclopedia
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
on the south western side of Mount Ruapehu
Mount Ruapehu
Mount Ruapehu, or just Ruapehu, is an active stratovolcano at the southern end of the Taupo Volcanic Zone in New Zealand. It is 23 kilometres northeast of Ohakune and 40 kilometres southwest of the southern shore of Lake Taupo, within Tongariro National Park...
, the highest mountain in the North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, in Tongariro National Park
Tongariro National Park
Tongariro National Park is the oldest national park in New Zealand, located in the central North Island. It has been acknowledged by UNESCO as one of the 28 mixed cultural and natural World Heritage Sites....
. The area has been used for skiing since before the completion of the Mountain Road, but the first lifts opened in 1978.
There are two beginner areas, and many intermediate and advanced trails. The upper field is a mix of natural pipes, steep drops, fast plains, and easier slopes, along with several terrain parks. The lower field contains the field's single narrow beginner trail, Clarry's Track, and a few other intermediate trails. They also serve as access to the base area from the upper mountain, and are often crowded. The field is 500 hectares (1000 acres) and has a 722 metre (2369 feet) vertical drop.
The skifield is reached via the Mountain Road from the town of Ohakune
Ohakune
Ohakune is a town in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located at the southern end of the Tongariro National Park, close to the southwestern slopes of the active volcano Mount Ruapehu. Part of the Manawatu-Wanganui region, the town is 70 kilometres northeast of Wanganui, and 25 kilometres west...
. The Mountain Road was built by locals from Ohakune, mostly during weekends after they formed the Mountain Road Association in 1952. Their aim was to open Ruapehu's southern slopes for skiing, partly as a replacement industry for the decline in logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
which had sustained the town for the previous decades. The now renamed Ministry of Works helped with the road on one occasion by 'misplacing' a culvert
Culvert
A culvert is a device used to channel water. It may be used to allow water to pass underneath a road, railway, or embankment. Culverts can be made of many different materials; steel, polyvinyl chloride and concrete are the most common...
destined for another roading project. The 17 kilometre road was opened in 1963. It winds up through spectacular native forest before breaking out above the tree line and finishes at a complex of carparks below the bottom chairlift.
Turoa has been owned by Ruapehu Alpine Lifts since 2000, which also owns the nearby Whakapapa skifield
Whakapapa skifield
Whakapapa, on the northern side of Mount Ruapehu in New Zealand's Tongariro National Park, is one of the mountain's two commercial skifields. The other is Turoa, located on the mountain's south-western slopes...
, also on Mt. Ruapehu. It is possible to traverse from one field to the other. The two are operated together, with a combined lift ticket for both fields. Together, they are considered to be the largest ski resort in New Zealand and possibly the southern hemisphere.
On a good day it is possible to hike to the top of the mountain with skis or snowboard in hand, view the Crater Lake
Crater lake
A crater lake is a lake that forms in a volcanic crater or caldera, such as a maar; less commonly and with lower association to the term a lake may form in an impact crater caused by a meteorite. Sometimes lakes which form inside calderas are called caldera lakes, but often this distinction is not...
, and then ski back down to the field, or to Whakapapa. Also on a clear day Mount Taranaki
Mount Taranaki
Mount Taranaki, or Mount Egmont, is an active but quiescent stratovolcano in the Taranaki region on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island. Although the mountain is more commonly referred to as Taranaki, it has two official names under the alternative names policy of the New Zealand...
can be seen.
A new high speed six-seater chairlift
Detachable chairlift
A detachable chairlift or high-speed chairlift is a type of passenger aerial lift, which, like a fixed-grip chairlift, consists of numerous chairs attached to a constantly moving wire rope that is strung between two terminals over intermediate towers. They are now commonplace at all but the...
has been added for the winter of 2007, replacing an existing T-bar to the top of the mountain.
Lifts
| Lift Name | Type | Ride Time |
|---|---|---|
| High Noon Express | Six seater detachable chairlift | 10 min |
| High Flyer Chair | Quad chairlift | 8 min |
| Movenpick Chair | Quad chairlift | 15 min |
| Giant Chair | Triple chairlift | 13 min |
| Parklane Chair | Triple chairlift | 7 min |
| Jumbo T-Bar | T-Bar | 7 min |
| Alpine Meadow Platter | Platter lift | 2 min |
| Wintergarden Platter | Platter lift | 2 min |
| Alpine Meadow Carpet Lift | Magic Carpet | 2 min |
The lifts are capable of taking up to 11,300 people per hour on a busy day. A new high speed six-seater chairlift
Detachable chairlift
A detachable chairlift or high-speed chairlift is a type of passenger aerial lift, which, like a fixed-grip chairlift, consists of numerous chairs attached to a constantly moving wire rope that is strung between two terminals over intermediate towers. They are now commonplace at all but the...
has been added for the winter of 2007, replacing an existing t-bar to the top of the mountain.