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Whakapapa resort snow
Lat Long: 39.23° S 175.55° E
Ski New Zealand

Whakapapa Resort Reviews

Weather Forecast for Whakapapa at 1962 m altitude

Issued: 11 am 04 May 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Next snow in Whakapapa: 1.2 cm on Sat 9th  (after 3 PM)

Visitor reviews for Whakapapa Ski Resort

Whakapapa Ratings

Overall: 3.3. Based on 52 votes and 59 reviews.

Rate this resort

Snowsure: 3.2

  • Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing
  • Is often closed due to a lack of snow
  • Occasionally suffers from a lack of snow
  • Rarely suffers from a lack of snow
  • Whakapapa is snowsure even in the poorest seasons

Variety of pistes: 4.2

  • The ski runs are featureless and unvaried
  • The ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week
  • Whakapapa has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain

Off-piste: 4.1

  • No off-piste worth mentioning
  • Off piste is out-of-bounds
  • Some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days
  • A vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days

Scenery: 4.2

  • An ugly resort in a bland setting
  • Average mountain views and resort
  • A spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town

Access: 3.3

  • At least one overnight stop
  • Requires a whole day
  • Requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns
  • Arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon
  • There is a main airport within an hour of Whakapapa

Public Transport: 3.1

  • There are no buses or taxis to Whakapapa
  • There are slow or infrequent buses / trains available
  • Getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections

Accommodation: 3.5

  • No places to stay in/near Whakapapa
  • A few places to stay in the resort
  • A wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets

Cheap Rooms: 3.4

  • No budget accommodation available
  • Just one or two hostels so book ahead
  • Several cheap hostels and pensions available

Luxury Hotels: 3.5

  • No luxury accommodation available
  • Just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead
  • Several up-market hotels in Whakapapa

Ski in/Ski out: 3.2

  • The ski area is located far from any accommodation
  • A free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip
  • Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available

Childcare: 2.8

  • There are no child care facilities at Whakapapa
  • The resort has limited child-care facilities
  • the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche

Snowmaking: 3.7

  • Whakapapa relies entirely on natural snow
  • There are just a few snow cannons
  • There are snowmaking facilities on all pistes

Snow Grooming: 3.6

  • There are no snow groomers at Whakapapa
  • Occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state
  • All the runs at Whakapapa are groomed daily

Shelter: 2.0

  • There is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut
  • There are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close
  • Whakapapa is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close

Nearby options: 2.7

  • If snow conditions are poor at Whakapapa, it will be poor everywhere nearby
  • There are good alternatives within an hours drive
  • Other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions

Regional rating: 3.6

  • Whakapapa usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region
  • Has average conditions for the region
  • Usually has the best snow conditions in the region

Lift Staff: 3.6

  • The staff at Whakapapa are rude or unhelpful
  • Lift staff at Whakapapa are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help

Crowds/Queues: 2.9

  • The resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues
  • It is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays
  • It is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare

Ski Schools: 4.2

  • No ski schools available
  • One or two ski schools but local language only
  • A few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors
  • Plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available
  • Excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors

Hire and Repairs: 4.0

  • Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex
  • There are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance
  • Good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible

Beginners: 3.6

  • Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard
  • A few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week
  • Vast areas of gentle terrain

Intermediates: 4.1

  • No intermediate terrain at Whakapapa
  • Intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days
  • Vast areas of cruising runs

Advanced: 4.3

  • Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders
  • Enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste
  • Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week

Snow Park: 2.7

  • Not even a kicker at Whakapapa
  • Average sized park quite well looked after
  • Huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails

Cross-country: 2.5

  • There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Whakapapa
  • There are some cross country trails available
  • The area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails

Luge/Toboggan: 2.6

  • No designated luge or toboggan runs
  • There are toboggan runs that open quite often
  • Whakapapa has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages

Mountain Dining: 3.2

  • Nowhere to buy food by the pistes
  • Some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive
  • There is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets

Eating: 3.2

  • Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop
  • There are a few places to eat in the resort but nothing special
  • A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants

Apres-Ski: 2.6

  • Nothing to do, not even a bar
  • There are a few bars in the resort but nothing special
  • Clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere

Other Sports: 1.7

  • No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts
  • Resort has just a small public swimming pool
  • Resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool

Entertainment: 2.7

  • Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here
  • The non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week
  • The resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports

Winter Walks: 3.4

  • Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails
  • A couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails
  • Extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities

Ski Pass Value: 2.9

  • A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available
  • The ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts
  • Ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area

Value (National): 3.5

  • Overall, Whakapapa is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money
  • Overall represents average value for money
  • Overall offers the best value resort in the country

Value (Global): 3.3

  • Overall, Whakapapa is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world
  • Overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries
  • Internationally the resort offers excellent value for money

Show all 35 ratings

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June 16, 2015
Richard S from Ski New Zealand New Zealand
Our family are season pass holders and would like to make the following recommendations: 1. What happened to Meads Wall? Whakapapa has the best learning facilities, however, there is a big step to the Rock Garden and Waterfall chair. Meads Wall provided a better transition and would easy reduce the congestion of Happy Valley on good days. 2. They need four staff members on the chairlift all the time in Happy Valley for safety reasons. For gods sake, it's a learners slope. You didn't have a safety net on the demounting platform and one of my children slipped off the back falling 2 metres. She and others missed a day skiing because of this. We didn't report it to OSH because it's a 'not for profit' business. The chief executive took two days to call me about the incident and the board should have a serious look at his stewardship. You can compromise staff numbers on other things but not safety. The CE will put you out of business if he keeps this up. The frontline staff, who managed the situation, were first class, otherwise.
October 06, 2014
Michael from Ski New Zealand New Zealand
I'm not keen on this field; have skied there twice recently and compared to Turoa the snow was crap with heaps of congestion lower down not to mention non existent grooming, I much prefer Turoa with its wide open slopes which lend themselves to fast carving skiing. Then, of course, there's all those T-bars which take their toll on older arthritic joints after a while. On the plus side the scenery is stunning and the on-mountain accommodation is great if you can stay in a ski lodge.
September 20, 2014
Blair from Ski New Zealand New Zealand
I have skied here for 35 years. It is some of the best terrain on offer in NZ, and is one of the few areas in NZ to offer serious off piste skiing for good skiers. Much of the off piste skiing is just off the main lifts - no long traverses needed. And it's not for profit. Every cent is re-invested into skiing. But mountain management this year has been disappointing. After a big fall there is lack of action to get facilities open, sometimes more than a day after weather clears to complete avalanche control. At the start of the season, school holidays were over before all the upper T bars opened. On poor weather days (often the best snow) the mountain is closed rather than having staff on for those who want to ski. The 2013 annual report discussed how profitability had improved against falling skier days and claimed "The management team has consistently delivered profitability growth over the past two seasons without compromising service ..." As a long term customer I don't feel this was achieved in 2014. Mountain management seems to have gone backward. Skier days are down, which is affecting revenue and the development of the area. Part of this is due to poor seasons in the last couple of years, but part is within management control. Facilities have to be open in order to have skier days. Annual reports are published on the mtruaphu website for those interested search ral-annual_reports
June 10, 2014
Evie from Ski New Zealand New Zealand
When the conditions are right, Whakapapa is the place to be. The view from the top is just amazing. Need to keep an eye on the weather forecast though, particularly for strong wind. The cafe, at Knoll Ridge, is great; bit pricey but great coffee and offers a variety of cooked lunches. Plenty of outdoor seating to soak up the sun, eat lunch and watch skier & snowboarders shred. The weekend Flyer or Warriors programme for the kids are just awesome. Our children have been doing it for 3 years; they can ski and board with children of similar abilities, and make loads of friends. To avoid crowds, off-piste is the way to go, though need to be an advanced skier or snowboarder. All the staff are friendly and helpful. Generally speaking, great ski resort and will recommended to all of our friends.
May 27, 2014
Nick Farquhar from Ski New Zealand New Zealand
Great ski area when it's on! Great runs for the kids. Friendly staff. Great access for fresh lines if ya have the legs for it; it's well worth the hike. Remember your manners. Respect others on the hill and you'll have a mean day on the Maunga.
September 07, 2013
Todd Sisson from Ski New Zealand New Zealand
Love the place. Have skied a lot of different ski areas, both Northern and Southern Hemisphere, and Whakapapa I rate as one of the best, the place rocks.
August 05, 2013
Tom Ryan from Ski New Zealand New Zealand
I don't know where another reviewer got their ideas from because in 35 years skiing Whakapapa I have really enjoyed this field. The staff are friendly and great and go through thorough training in customer relations. I would rate them the best in NZ. The ski field is actually owned by a charitable company, all profits going back into the ski field. While you do need a good covering of snow to cover the volcanic rocks, on a good day there is no place I would rather be skiing in New Zealand.
August 04, 2013
Michelle George from Ski New Zealand New Zealand
One of the best ski fields I have ever been to! Customer Relations were so helpful! Really looked after me and my kids. F&B staff were so friendly, and the prices were very reasonable. The Lifties were so good with the kids, they loved it! The excitement on their faces... We had such a good day. Thank you Mount Ruapehu and keep up the great work!
July 25, 2013
Margi from Ski New Zealand New Zealand
This is a truly magical place on a sunny winter or spring day. There is nothing quite like skiing on an active volcano. I love Whakapapa and have never got sick of it in 30 years of skiing.
October 03, 2012
jayden connor from Ski New Zealand New Zealand
One of the worst ski resorts in the world. Monday appears to be the closing day. The only way to enjoy the mountain is on a sunny day with no wind, no people and 3 mt of soft snow. Even the beginner area is covered in rocks! There is a complete lack of any sort of organisation. The owners usually smoked in front of the kids on the slopes. The staff are mostly recruited from backpacker hostels!