Ohakune in the air

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 14, Issue 641, 18 June 1996, Page 14

Ohakune in the air

Ohakune was up in the air last month, featuring in Ansett New Zealand's in-flight rag, Southern Skies. Right up front in the magazine was an article entitled "Ohakune Rediscovered" by John Woods and featuring a sunny, stunning double-page shot of the Powderhorn Chateau. "The tiny North Island ski town dreams of bigger things," opened Mr Woods, who is labelled as the magazine' s editor/marketing person. John Woods has dabbled in a number of publishing ventures including the Ruapehu Bulletin for a short time some years ago. Ohakune is "just waiting to be discovered" and "struggles to achieve the status of ski resort", according to the magazine. It bustles like one for a few months every winter but for the rest of the time "it's stuck in a time warp" says Woods. Despite the disparaging opening remarks the town does get quite a plug. It has "all the virtues of a world-class adventure and natural history destination". The article includes good coverage of the Powderhorn Chateau and its adventure activities, a smattering of information on some of the other restaurants and bars, and a full page guide on tours and activities in and around Ohakune, not counting skiing. The Bulletin gets a mention also, although the implication that this paper ignores skiing is a little amiss, considering the monthly 16-24 page Ruapehu Snow Bulletin supplement that is published through winter and spring. There's also an interesting quote for those who remember Mr Woods and his time in Ohakune: "A vision of what this old mill town on the main trunk line could become has driven a few investors and developers crazy — and some broke".