National Park. Ruapehu's gateway.

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 10, Issue 454, 22 September 1992, Page 12 (Supplement)

National Park. Ruapehu's gateway.

National Park is the gateway to the Tongariro National Park, the oldest and ecologically most diverse reserve in the North Island having volcanoes, alpine forest, temperate rainforest, desert and temperate wetland/lake habitats within an area of around four thousand square kilometres.

An hours drive takes you through them, of course helicopter and fixed wing flights are available at the local airfield for a new vision of the central plateau. Guided and marked walks are a feature of the park and most are accessible from National Park where secure parking and transport to and from hiking trails can be found. National Park is centrally situated to provide great accommodation for people who want to ski both Whakapapa and Turoa, being about halfway between the two.

There is a wide variety of styles of accommodation available too, including places like Discovery Motel, on the road to the Chateau, or the Ski Haus in the township itself. After a day's heavyduty holidaying there are a number of restaurants around, including Misty's, Discovery and the Ski Haus. Right now is a good time to check out the ski shops too, as they're all clearing out excess stock so there are bargains to be had at placed like Eivins Ski Hire & Ski Shop