Taupo & Ruapehu

The government is contributing $5m to the future of Supercars events in New Zealand.

The spring season at Whakapapa and Tūroa ski fields at Mt Ruapehu is shaping up to be busy, says Ruapehu Alpine Lifts.

A new booking system is being put in place for Tongariro Alpine Crossing visitors, although it will be voluntary for the 2023/24 season.

The final elements in Taupō’s town centre transformation will include an overhead lighting feature.

The New Zealand Police is urging visitors heading into alpine environments to be prepared for the conditions they face.

Department of Conservation rangers and police are increasing patrols at Whakaipo Bay, Taupō, following a spate of damaging off-road driving.

Ruapehu Alpine Lifts is marking its 70th platinum anniversary on Friday 1 September with a $70 adult weekday pass.

Ruapehu Alpine Lifts has been ordered to pay just over $433,094 for operating buses that were improperly maintained with poorly trained drivers, which led to a fatal crash.

Taupō’s selection to host the Supercars Championship will provide the region with a good opportunity to encourage visitors to stay longer and spend more, says Destination Great Lake Taupō.

Co-owner and skipper Dave Nesbitt on the operator’s recovery from the pandemic and how the addition of a significant new asset will help.

Ruapehu Alpine Lifts is discounting its Long Weekend access pass to encourage more visitors to spend longer at the ski fields.

Ruapehu Alpine Lifts is resuming its learning and development programmes held on the mountain following a strong start to the season and a deep snow base.

Ruapehu District Council is seeking public feedback on what it should focus on for its ten-year Long Term Plan 2024-2034.

A decent dump of snow will allow Mt Ruapehu’s ski fields to open more of their lifts this weekend.

The first sod has been turned on a new hiking and cycling trail connecting Tūroa on Mt Ruapehu with Ohakune.

Snow conditions at Whakapapa and Tūroa ski fields are contributing to a strong finish to the July school holidays.

Demand for the Tongariro Northern Circuit Great Walk has jumped compared to last year after Great Walks bookings finally reopened.

Ruapehu Alpine Lifts is urging visitors to the Whakapapa and Tūroa ski fields to book online or call into Torpedo7 to pick up their passes this season.

It hasn’t been an ideal opening but the operator is focused on moving season passes in compressed two-week campaign.

Taupō District Council is seeking feedback on proposed changes to freedom camping zones and alcohol-free bylaws around the region.

Season passes for Whakapapa and Tūroa ski fields on Mt Ruapehu are slated to be available from 1pm today for a two-week period.

Ngāti Tūwharetoa joins Whakapapa Holdings and Pure Tūroa in the race for RAL’s ski assets.

Chateau Tongariro has won the Enduring Architecture Award from the western branch of the New Zealand Institute of Architects.

It was high noon at the watershed meeting on Tuesday, with creditors managing to shoot themselves in the foot.

A liquidation process will begin today with a sale of RAL’s ski operations still possible.

The Ski Areas Association New Zealand [SAANZ] has expressed its support for a solution that ensures both Whakapapa and Tūroa ski areas can operate this season and beyond.

Whakapapa Holdings Limited reveals its plans for the ski field, season passes, and lifetime pass holders.

The Department of Conservation has confirmed Taupō Fishing District licence fees for the 2023-24 season.

But the bidding process is criticised for creating “a false sense of urgency” to push a deal through.

Wages have been the biggest expense and their own bill racks up too as a solution is sought.

A bidder for one of Ruapehu’s ski fields plans a capital raise of up to $12m and a USX listing to help fund the operation.

New Zealand research has uncovered a new way to track the path of rock and gas flows from volcanoes.

Former RAL boss Dave Mazey is understood to be involved in one of the bids.

Destination Great Lake Taupō is running a series of workshops to gather feedback on its destination brand – one of the first action points within its destination management plan.

The group behind a community effort to take ownership of Ruapehu’s ski fields has unveiled its proposed structure.

It is the iwi’s fourth deal in tourism after it entered the industry in 2017, making it one of Taupō’s most significant operators.

Iwi Ngāti Rangi wants to work closely with stakeholders on the operation and potential sale of Mt Ruapehu skifield operations.

More than 100 operators and 185 buyers will be at Eden Park in Auckland today.

A community-based group bidding to take over Ruapehu Alpine Lifts’ ski operations has put the call out for support.

Tongariro Forest Kiwi Sanctuary is now home to nine Western brown kiwi as the first tranche of almost 70 to be returned.

The Department of Conservation is preparing to open tenders for the construction of a new building to replace the 26-bunk Oturere hut east of Mt Ngauruhoe.

The bid hopes to raise funding from RAL life pass holders, ski club members and the local community.

Taupō’s future as a destination will depend on being able to shift from a largely economic model in favour of a regenerative one, according to its new destination management plan.

The region’s new destination management plan is heralded as a “milestone”.

Next weekend marks ‘blast off’ for the new Ohakune Carrot Rocket, the tallest carrot rocket in the universe.

A new survey aims to gauge whether Ruapehu lifepass holders would be willing to pay $1,000 for a one-time ‘settlement fee’ to reactivate their pass if a new entity or a revived Ruapehu Alpine Lifts is established.

State Highway 5 between Taupō and Napier will reopen to all traffic on Monday after weeks of repairs after the devastation of Cyclone Gabrielle in February.

Taupō’s Craters Mountain Bike Park is likely to be closed for at least six months because it is not safe, says the region’s district council.

A $29m government investment in Taupō’s economic resilience has been completed with the official opening of the Town Centre Transformation project, airport terminal and Eastern Arterial Shared Path.

Ruapehu District Council has committed $10,000 toward the Mayoral Relief Fund to aid Cyclone Gabrielle recovery efforts and also help local tourism.