New Zealand snow forecast

Skiing in New Zealand

New Zealand's ski fields sit on mountains above the snowline rather than in alpine villages, so most skiers stay in a nearby town and drive an access road each morning. The season generally runs from June to early October. The weather can change quickly, and strong winds can close upper lifts or access roads at short notice, so it pays to compare fields on the day.

This page covers three areas. Queenstown and Wanaka, in the Southern Lakes, has four fields: Coronet Peak and Queenstown/Remarkables near Queenstown, and Cardrona and Treble Cone near Wanaka. Coronet Peak has night skiing and extensive snowmaking, The Remarkables suits families and freestyle, Cardrona is one of the largest areas in the country and Treble Cone has the biggest vertical in the South Island.

Canterbury covers Mt Hutt, about 80 km west of Christchurch and a 35-minute drive from Methven, which is often the first field in the Southern Hemisphere to open each season. It has around 680 m of vertical and a mix of beginner to advanced terrain, but it is exposed to strong winds. Ohau Snow Fields, above Lake Ohau in the Mackenzie Basin, is a small, quieter field with about 500 m of vertical, reached on an unsealed road.

The Central Plateau is the North Island's skiing, at Whakapapa on Mt Ruapehu, the largest active volcano in New Zealand. Whakapapa sits on the north western slopes, above Whakapapa Village. Gales are common on the mountain and the weather can change quickly, so closures are more frequent than on the South Island fields.