Mt Ruapehu, New Zealand, and the Turoa Ski Field, minus the snow

Every year or so we take advantage of using our timeshare and stay at Oreti Village which is located near Turangi, at the bottom of Lake Taupo.  We used to stay in Queenstown but it is no longer possible to book a timeshare there in winter.

Staying at Oreti village gives us the opportunity to go to Mt Ruapehu and the Tongariro National Park.

There are two main skiing areas on Mt Ruapehu, the Whakapapa Ski Area on the north-western slopes of Mt Ruapehu and not far from the Chateau Tongariro hotel.

The other, Turoa requires traveling further to Okahune.  Turoa Ski Area on the south-western slopes of Mt Ruapehu offers a massive 722m of vertical descent on New Zealand's highest chairlift - the High Noon Express

The day we visited, as you can see, is hot and there is little or no snow.



There is a map of the ski area, which, since this picture was taken, has no doubt changed.



There is nothing more lonely than a ski resort in summer




And you can only use your imagination to visualize what it might be like in winter.  Alas, it is quiet and feels like it has been abandoned with not another vehicle in sight.



We will be back in winter when I hope the landscape is more wintry and there are a lot more people here.