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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 05 May 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Next snow in Whakapapa: 0.8 cm on Sat 9th  (after 9 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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July 30, 2011
Julie from Ski New Zealand New Zealand
We went yesterday, awesome weather, had to strip off layers as it was very hot. Loved the day, snow was great, kids had a ball, staff were great & helpful. Hope to get back during the week soon without kids to try snowboarding or skiing for the first time. Roll on more snow.. Thanks Whakapapa Team. Awesome day out and only 2hrs drive from Rotorua.
July 21, 2011
Chris from Ski New Zealand New Zealand
If you belong to a club and can travel to the mountain at a couple of days notice then you can pick the weather and have an awesome seasons skiing at very little cost with an early bird seasons pass. The point made by Graham regarding the ski patrol not enforcing the rules is a very valid one particularly at Turoa where there seems to be an unusually high ratio of useless young snowboarders. If you want to ski with those of a higher level of skill then you should ski at Whakapapa.
June 20, 2011
Graham from Ski New Zealand New Zealand
Wonderful varied natural terrain unfortunately spoiled by lack of decent facilities and ancient lifts that are slow and have massive queues on weekends. Non existent enforcement of rules by ski patrol make it dangerous as well.
May 25, 2011
Brendan from Ski New Zealand New Zealand
You can all complain all you like about long queues, slow lifts etc but at the end of the day we have great terrain within a reasonably short distance from Auckland. Earlybird season pass prices are great and the fact that you can use the 1 pass at Whakapapa and Turoa (2 biggest fields in NZ) makes for unbeatable value. The hike from the top of the Far West T-Bar on the West Ridge at Whakapapa to the Crater lake is highly recommended for not only the view but it gives you access to some great runs and only takes about 40mins. Weekdays are the best days as you can usually ride onto the chairlifts but weekends aren't bad if you exercise a little patience.
October 09, 2010
Alex from Ski New Zealand New Zealand
I love it at Whakapapa. Varied terrain, something for everyone. Let down by the lifts, T-bars at the top get a bit tiresome after a while. Needs a proper lift to the summit to take advantage of the magnificent valley running down to the knoll T. Dept of Conservation would close the whole lot down if they had their way. They want it to look nice but your not allowed to enjoy it!!!
September 24, 2009
Zoltan from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Whakapapa is badly let down by the poor lift system. There is only one good lift in the whole place and the queues at weekends can be huge. The two 2-seater lifts to get you up the lower mountain are the slowest lifts I have been on and the queues are a complete joke at times. There is not much you can do about the weather that makes the place very unreliable and almost sheet ice. But the place could invest and do something with the lifts. Europe in the 60's had better lifts. Get a nice day and the place is stunning. Blue skies are common, but expect high winds to be a problem. The beginners area at Whakapapa is better than Turoa but still gets really busy. If I had a choice, I would always go Turoa before Whakapapa. It's about 45 minutes drive away but worth it.
September 15, 2009
Damian from Ski France France
On a recent trip we skied both Whakapapa and Turoa. To my mind, if you get the right weather conditions, Mt. Ruapehu offers the best skiing in New Zealand. New Zealand's maritime climate makes for changeable weather conditions. If you are very time constrained I would recommend the South Island ski fields where the weather is more reliable but the skiing is not as good. With a little more time to spend, then on their day Whakapapa and Turoa are, in my opinion, up there with the best for on and off-piste skiing. The next nearest comparable groomed ski field is in Japan or North America which isn't exactly round the corner. (NB: The South Island off-piste skiing is equal to the best in the world, but the good stuff is incredibly hard to get to). We had spring skiing conditions that meant soft snow lower down and a little crusty higher up. Good for the time of year. Some of the lifts are old and slow which can be an issue if it's very busy. That said, the new 6 seater at Turoa is world class. The high speed quad at Whakapapa is great but the field would benefit greatly with a chair to access the very highest slopes. The reliance on T-bars does a mountain of this quality a dis-service. The facilities are ok, though in their defense, the main on-mountain restaurant at Whakapapa was destroyed in a fire earlier this year so that has put pressure on the other cafes and restaurants to take up the slack. The builders were there when we were there. The plan, we were told, is to rebuild a state of the art on-mountain restaurant in the New Zealand 2009/10 summer. This is a great mountain for beginners and experts alike. It would be truly fantastic with a new lift or two at Whakapapa. Highly recommended.
August 30, 2009
Sarah from Ski New Zealand New Zealand
We went to Whakapapa for the first time with 2 small children. The cost was reasonable, snow was great, ski school was great and the kids loved every minute of the experience. Mum even got a few runs in. Lower lifts were a bit slow though and hopefully they will improve this. The restaurants at Whakapapa were very busy on the weekend - expected though, but perhaps they will improve this by building a larger facility. Well worth the 3 hour drive to get there and can't wait to get back, will be watching the snow report closely.
July 30, 2009
Richard
I was born in NZ but have been living abroad for the past 15-years and have been lucky enough to ski a lot in the Northern Hemisphere. Whilst I agree that the mountain, when the weather is good, is very hard to beat lets inject a dose of reality into the debate. 1. The weather is VERY unpredictable. This is a mountain that rises out of a desert plain. Accordingly, it is very exposed to the wind. Mountain closures are frequent and the upper mountain is particularly susceptible to closure. 2. The lifts are old and slow. The problem with this is that they are susceptible to the wind. If it is blowing more than 40mph it is almost certain they will not open the upper mountain, regardless of weather. If the weather looks a bit dodgy, only buy a lower mountain pass in the morning as you can always upgrade it later in the day. If you go for a full mountain pass there are no refunds if you can't use it. 3. Bulk of the grooming is done in the morning and the de-icing seems to take forever, so you'll be lucky to hit the upper mountain earlier than 10.30-11.00am. Seems to be no urgency to get the upper mountain open in the morning. 4. Equipment hire on the mountain is average and if you are a good but ocassional skier and like to use 'executive' or 'demo' rentals forget it. My advice is get your gear before you come to the mountain or there are a few good places in Ohakune. 5. The food on the mountain is poor and expensive and space is limited. Accordingly, bring a packed lunch and avoid the traditional 12-2pm lunch break if you want to sit down. 6. I would give terrain a 7 out of 10. It would get a higher rating but the runs aren't all that long - particularly the challenging runs. Overall this is not a bad mountain but the experience can be really dragged down by the unpredictability of the weather and poor on-snow activities (cafe, hire, grooming, lifts). If you're stuck in the North Island, then this is the place for you but give yourself a week and plan for some down time. If you have the ability to get to the South Island then my advice is do it and give Ruapehu a miss.
August 29, 2008
Olly from Ski New Zealand New Zealand
I think you will find that every 5 years or so, you can ski to the Chateau, I did it about 2 weeks ago. What Whakapapa does offer is some pretty intense terrain, if you have the skills and knowledge to ski it. I have skied in many places across the world, and even though it may not as good as many of those resorts, in my mind, Whakapapa is the best resort in New Zealand (on its day) Treble Cone has amazing snow, but over the last few years I have had several powder (actual powder) days that would better TC, with the advantage of much more terrain. You are right about the 1m to cover the rocks, but its been 3 years since we haven't had enough, ever heard of weather cycles? Hear about how bad the season was on the east coast of the states last year? I encourage you to go skiing soon, it's insane down there. [Comment by editor: the part of this review that contained sensitive text, directed to an individual, has now been removed]