Mount Ruapehu - by Eden Wilkie

After the first lockdown from Covid-19 in 2020, Turoa and Whakapapa ski fields (located in the North Island, on Mount Ruapehu) opened. For the regular snowboarders and skiers of Mount Ruapehu, this was awesome news, until the problem of booking a car park arised.

Everyday at three different times throughout the day, you had to book your car park on the mountain. This doesn't sound so bad, but with everyone around the North Island booking at the same time, it was easy to miss out. It was stressful at times, and we began using more than one device to rush and get a car park!

This year there has been no need for car park bookings, though it does mean racing up the mountain early in the morning to get a park. Although booking a car park was frustrating most of the time, it was a good system to have as this year some people have driven up the mountain just to be turned around again because the car parks are full.

After 2 big dumpings of snow on the mountain, some people were fortunate enough to get up there and enjoy the fresh powder. Unfortunately, as New Zealand recently went into lockdown again, the weather seemed to be perfect almost everyday, with not a single cloud near the mountain! As we came out of lockdown the weather hasn't been as good, as everyone makes the most of the rare blue bird days as the season slowly comes to an end.

Due to Aucklanders being under lockdown longer than the rest of the North Island, they may not have been able to use their season pass. This is why Mount Ruapehu are offering to anyone in Auckland and Northland who is unable to use their season pass more than four times this season, a 50% credit toward a 2022 season pass. This also includes anyone anywhere in the north island that has a season pass.

Thank goodness for our amazing Mount Ruapehu, giving us a relaxing, yet exciting break from lockdown! If an opportunity arises, and you get a chance to go up the ski slopes then I advise you to take it! It is something you will not regret!