Ohakune runs from the old railway Junction, where locals built the 17 km road up to Turoa, to the cafés on Clyde Street, with the ski hire counters on Ayr Street in between and the Big Carrot on the main road in.
Should you rent skis in Ohakune or at Turoa?
In Ohakune, the day before. SLR, TCB and The Ski Shed will fit you the afternoon or evening ahead, and all three stay open late on a Friday, while Pure Tūroa warns that gear booked online and collected on the mountain can take up to 1.5 hours to pick up when it's busy. An adult set ran $35 to $45 a day in town last winter. Winter 2026 is over, and Pure Tūroa estimates 2027 will run from the beginning of June to the end of October.
What brings people to Ohakune in summer?
Bikes and the river. The 15 km Old Coach Road runs from Horopito back into town over the 1908 Hapuawhenua Viaduct, and Kune will shuttle you to the top of the Mountain Road for about 1,000 m of descent to the Junction. Dempsey runs Tongariro Crossing shuttles, and two Ohakune outfits put you on the Whanganui River by canoe.
Ayr Street, Clyde Street and Turoa
SLR and TCB sit at 27 and 29 Ayr Street, by the roundabout up to Turoa, and The Ski Shed claims over 1,001 sets on Clyde Street, the highway through town. Pure Tūroa's own counter is 17 km up the road at the base area.
Cheapest adult ski set, first day, 2026
NZD, as each shop published it for winter 2026. The Ski Shed lists two carving prices, so it's left off.
| Shop | Adult ski package, 1 day | Snowboard package, 1 day | Hires | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|
SLR Ski & Board Rentals
27 Ayr Street, on the roundabout up to Turoa
|
$35 | $35 | Starter, recreational and performance skis and boards, kids' and mini sets | Book online → |
TCB Ski Board & Bike
29 Ayr Street
Hires chains
|
$45 | $45 | Carving and demo skis, boards, clothing, walk boots, toboggans, chains | Book online → |
| Shop | Adult ski package, 1 day | Snowboard package, 1 day | Hires | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|
The Ski Shed
71 Clyde Street
|
From $35 | Skis, boards, clothing, gloves, goggles and helmets, in sizes 00 to 7XL | Book online → |
| Shop | Adult ski package, 1 day | Snowboard package, 1 day | Hires | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Tūroa Ski Area rental
Base area
|
$45 | $45 | Adult and youth sets, skis or boards on their own, and $15 helmets | Book online → |
Rates as published for winter 2026, in NZD. TCB and SLR charge less for each extra day. Confirm the 2027 price when you book.
Turoa's lifts and cafés close for summer and SLR shuts until winter, so bikes come from TCB, open every day of the year, and Kune Bikes & Shuttles, with about 120 hire bikes, 25 or more of them electric.
TCB's Horopito shuttle leaves at 10am, 12pm and 2pm from 1 November to 1 May.
From Horopito into town over the 1908 Hapuawhenua Viaduct, a ride of 2 to 4 hours with 170 m less height at the finish than the start.
Old Coach Road route →Ride the 17 km road from the top near Turoa back to the Junction. Kune takes bikes and riders up for $30.
Mountain Road ride →Mountain bikes, e-bikes, child seats and trailers, with shuttles to Horopito for $20 and to Pokaka Road for $30 to ride Te Hangaruru into the Old Coach Road.
TCB bike rates →About 120 hire bikes, fat-tire bikes and e-bikes among them, a workshop, and shuttles for the town trails ($20) and the Mountain Road ($30). Open 8am to 6pm every day, closed in May and June.
Bikes and shuttles →Tongariro Alpine Crossing shuttles from Ohakune and Raetihi, booking essential, running only when weather and track are safe. Dempsey also carries bikes to the Old Coach Road, Fishers Track and the Bridge to Nowhere.
Their website →Canoe and kayak hire for self-guided Whanganui River trips, from 3 Burns Street, with more than 30 years of running them.
Their website →Guided canoe and raft trips on the Whanganui and Rangitikei rivers, from 6 Tay Street.
Their website →Jet boat and canoe trips from Pipiriki. Kune pairs its bike shuttle with their jet boat for the Bridge to Nowhere ride, from $240.
Their website →Before you go up
Pickup times, Friday hours and what happens when weather shuts Turoa all differ between SLR, TCB and The Ski Shed.
Ohakune is 287 km north of Wellington and 70 km northeast of Whanganui, at the southern end of Tongariro National Park. Pure Tūroa puts the drive to the ski area at about 4 hours from Wellington and 5 from Auckland.
Dempsey Buses, based in Raetihi, runs Ohakune to Turoa by booking only and drops you at the ski area entrance, so there's no walk from the car park. Children, youth and families pay less, and Pure Tūroa names it as the shuttle to take.
The Junction, by the old railway station, is where the Mountain Road begins, and it has most of the après. Clyde Street, the highway, has the cafés, the BP and The Ski Shed, and Ayr and Goldfinch Streets join the two.
The road is sealed, but on snowy days the road report and a sign at the bottom say whether chains are required. On those days Pure Tūroa recommends the shuttle. Turoa doesn't rent chains; TCB does.
Free, with no booking, and a walk to the chairlifts. The front row is kept for Platinum season pass holders.
Ohakune people formed the Mountain Road Association in 1952 and built the road themselves. It was completed in 1963, reached the base area in 1967 and became a legal road in 1973.
Pure Tūroa puts Turoa 50 minutes from National Park Village, 80 minutes from Tūrangi and 2 hours from Taupō.
BP Ohakune at 75 Clyde Street opens 7am to 8pm. New World, at 12 Goldfinch Street, opens 7:30am to 8pm.
Pure Tūroa bought the ski area in March 2024 once Ruapehu Alpine Lifts had been wound up, and had it running again by June. It claims New Zealand's longest vertical, 722 m, over 500 ha, with the top lift at 2,230 m. On 22 October 2026 it was the last field in New Zealand still running, and the operator's estimate for 2027 is early June to the end of October.
The Alpine Meadow at the base is a sheltered learner area with a carpet lift, next to Snow School, Guest Services and the Alpine Café. Ski lessons start at age 4 and snowboard lessons at 7, and there's no childcare.
The sledding zone beside the Alpine Meadow takes kids from 2. Under-3s can't ride the chairlifts unless they ski on their own, and nobody rides with a backpack or baby sling. Kids 5 and under ski free.
About 55% of the mountain. The lifts are the High Noon Express six-seater, the Giant, Parklane and Movenpick chairs, two pomas and a carpet. Clarry's Track, the one narrow beginner trail on the lower field, is the way home and often crowded.
Hamilton's Face and the Glacier headwall, plus natural pipes on the upper field. On a good day you can hike to the summit and Crater Lake.
June and John Broadbent ran the first commercial rope tow in 1965-66. The ski field opened in 1978 and was sold in the 1980s as "Welcome to the Pleasure Dome".
A sheltered carpet area beside Snow School at the base.
More than half the terrain, with 722 m of vertical to use.
Hamilton's Face, the Glacier headwall and the summit hike.
Kids 5 and under free and a sledding zone, but no childcare.
The 2027 dates are an estimate, and 2- to 7-day passes aren't on sale yet.
Scores out of 5 from us, for planning a Turoa trip.
Après happens at the Junction end, where skiers come off the Mountain Road. Clyde Street has the cafés, the bakery and more choice for dinner.
The deck bar at the Powderhorn Chateau, where the Mountain Road starts, with DJs and events in winter. Open from 7am every day in winter.
A hotel since 1913 on Rimu Street, with Ruapehu Brewing Company beer on tap, quiz night on Mondays and wings on Wednesdays.
Craft beer on Thames Street, with pizza from La Pizzeria next door. Thursday to Sunday from 4pm, every day in school holidays.
More than 34 years of pizza at the end of the Old Coach Road. Every day from 4pm.
Breakfast, brunch and lunch by a winter fire on Tyne Street, Wednesday to Sunday, 8am to 4pm.
Italian by an open fire, or as takeaway. Tuesday to Sunday, 4 to 9pm, with different hours in ski season.
Thai and other Asian dishes, with a view of Ruapehu.
Small plates, a fireside lounge and a kids' play area. Every day from 5pm.
A whānau-run kitchen cooking classic Kiwi dishes, with a garden bar. Tuesday to Sunday, 3 to 8pm.
Two fireplaces and rugby on the screens. Open from noon, closed Tuesdays.
Indian, mostly takeaway, 5 to 9pm daily.
A Clyde Street bakery run for generations by the Nation family, under new owners since 2022, and known for its chocolate éclair. 6:30am to 5pm, closed Tuesdays.
Breakfast and lunch with Volcano coffee, 7:30am to 4pm every day.
Home baking, paninis and Hawthorne coffee. Mornings on Monday, Thursday and Friday, and until 3pm at weekends.
Coffee, food and drinks from 7am to 9pm, every day.
Fish and chips, 10am to 9pm.
Upstairs at the base, with a fire, an à la carte menu and après from 3 to 6pm on Saturdays.
Quick food at the base, beside the Alpine Meadow.
Mid-mountain, serving Big Mountain Burgers.
Billed as one of the highest cafés in the North Island.
Several places keep longer hours in ski season than in summer, Powderkeg among them. Turoa's cafés are cashless.
Local tips
From cashless cafés at the top of the road to the right direction for the Old Coach Road.
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FAQ
Answers checked October 2026. Prices and rules change each season, so confirm with the operator before you go.
Contact UsNot until winter 2027. Turoa closed for 2026 at the end of October, and Pure Tūroa's estimate for next season is the beginning of June to the end of October, with no fixed opening day yet. The 2027 season pass is already on sale; anything that hangs on the lifts running is safer booked once the snow report says go.
Photos: AlasdairW (CC BY-SA 4.0 and CC BY-SA 3.0), Umedha Shanka Indranath Hettigoda (CC BY-SA 2.0)
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