TRAVEL

Why the Ruapehu region should be on your travel wish-list.

Thanks to the volcanoes that still beat within its mighty heart, the vast terrain of the Central Plateau in the middle of the North Island is starkly beautiful, whether covered in snow during winter or bare during the warmer months. With its three active maunga – Tongariro, Ngāuruhoe and Ruapehu – omnipresent, the Ruapehu region is understandably known for its mountains and the skiing and snowboarding offered at Tūroa and Whakapapa skifields on Mt Ruapehu in particular, but thereʼs more to do in this alpine area than just have fun in the snow. Handily located just a few hoursʼ drive from our main centres, off-mountain you can also enjoy fantastic outdoor activities, great food and drink, and even indulge in a bit of shopping, arts and culture.

Keen mountain bikers should put aside about three hours to ride the Ohakune Old Coach Road bike trail in one direction from Horopito back to town. TCB Ski Board & Bike has a selection of bikes for hire from $35 a half day, though for a really

comfortable ride, the full suspension e-bike, at $90 a half day, is worth every penny. An extra $15 will get you a shuttle transfer with Dempsey Buses to the best place to start the self-guided 15km-long Grade 3 ride, which has a few hairpin turns and some hilly parts. Youʼll ride over loose gravel, scoria, grass and the original cobblestones on the part of the track once used for horsedrawn coach transfers between trains before that section of the North Island’s main trunk line was finished in 1908. The trail takes you through sub alpine native forest alive with the sounds of birds, past two historic railway viaducts including the restored Hapuawhenua Viaduct which you can ride across, alongside pretty farmland and even into an old pitch-black hand-dug railway tunnel. Allow a little extra time to read the information boards en route and for a picturesque picnic stop.

Back in Ohakune, drop into the heritage former railway station to shop locally made merino clothing and accessories at Opus Fresh HQ – The Craft Haus, then make the 10-minute drive to Raetihi. Shop more locally made goods at Volcano Vibe Collective followed by a browse through the exhibitions on at the Raetihi Arts Gallery Trust, housed in a beautifully restored former BNZ bank, or a visit to the Dinosaur House to check out New Zealand’s largest collection of privately owned dinosaur skeletons.

The mountains may attract the spotlight in this geographically diverse part of New Zealand, but at ground level thereʼs plenty for everyone too.