Skiing Holidays in New Zealand
The skiing season in New Zealand extends from June to late October at ski areas in the North and South Islands. Many fields also have snow-making equipment to ensure reliable snow depth and quality. New Zealand has 12 commercial ski areas, 12 club ski fields and one commercial cross-country ski area.
In the North Island the main skiing centre is Mount Ruapehu in the Tongariro National Park. There are two commercial ski fields, Whakapapa and Turoa, and one club field (Tukino) at Ruapehu, with the Manuganui ski club area in Mount Egmont in Taranaki (New Plymouth).
In the South Island the commercial ski areas are Coronet Peak, the Remarkables (Queenstown), Cardrona, Treble Cone (Wanaka) Ohau, Mount Dobson (Aorangi), Porter Heights, Mount Hutt, Mount Lyford (Canterbury), and Rainbow Valley ( Marlborough). There are ten smaller ski club fields in the South Island.
The Waioru Nordic Ski Area on the Pisa Range near Wanaka offers 24 kilometres of cross-country skiing. Glacier skiing on the Tasman and Fox Glaciers, with access via ski-planes, is also available, while guided heliskiing and ski touring open up the Ben Ohau Ranges, the Harris Mountains, the Two Thumbs Range, the Mount Cook/Tasman Glacier area, Mount Hutt and Queenstown in the South island and the Ruahine Ranges in the North.
Winter Skiing Holiday Packages
There are a variety of package holiday specialists that are listed on the website for Tourism New Zealand at www.purenz.com. Skiing is such a large part of the New Zealand winter that these companies can cater to your specific needs and at your level of budget. Whether you want to go skiing, snowboarding or heliskiing on one mountain or many they will provide you with a package deal to suit you. Both Air New Zealand and Ansett offer competitive deals in the winter season but these prices vary seasonally. So the best idea if planning a skiing holiday in New Zealand is to go to the Tourism New Zealand site and have a look at the package deals on offer and also check your local papers for hot deals. Information can be obtained and your holiday booked from New Zealand Tourism Offices overseas.
