New Zealand
Ski New Zealand Ski New Zealand for a great all-round adventure! A NZ ski holiday offers good skiing and snowboarding, great ski towns, fabulous NZ culture, and a huge range of adventure activities. Another drawcard is the awesome scenery. They didn't make the Lord of the Rings movies in New Zealand for nothing!
Lots of the NZ locals ski or snowboard, and the NZ ski fields are easily accessible for many Australians. New Zealand also makes a great snow destination for skiing and snowboarding devotees from the Northern hemisphere who need a ski fix during summer.
One major benefit of New Zealand skiing is that it is incredibly affordable. The currency exchange works in
major favour for most international travellers, making a ski holiday in New Zealand “cheap as chups”!
New Zealand Ski Resorts Broadly speaking, there are three types of NZ ski fields:
- Large commercial ski resorts that have great infrastructure and facilities.
- Small ski resorts that have mediocre infrastructure and facilities yet are very reasonably priced. Examples include Ohau, Porters and Mt Dobson.
- NZ club ski fields that are owned and operated by club members but are open to the public. Examples include Craigieburn and Mt Olympus. The club fields generally have very limited facilities and services but have the advantage of providing on-mountain accommodation, uncrowded slopes and super affordable skiing.
Commercial Ski Resorts in NZ The South Island of New Zealand has various high profile ski resorts on the eastern side of the Southern Alps.
Mt Hutt ski resort is located near the town of
Methven and only 1.5 hours drive from Christchurch International Airport, making it very accessible.
Treble Cone ski resort is further south near the town of
Wanaka. TC is blessed with more snowfall than other NZ ski resorts and has great terrain for experienced skiers and boarders.
Cardrona ski resort is also in proximity to Wanaka and is very well suited to beginner and intermediate riders. The nearby
Snow Park NZ is a mecca for terrain park junkies.
The town of
Queenstown is world famous for its tourist buzz, adventure activities, and vibrant nightlife. And as an added bonus, the ever popular
Coronet Peak ski resort and
The Remarkables ski field are close by. Cardrona is also easily accessible from Queenstown.
On the North Island of New Zealand is
Mount Ruapehu. On one side of the active volcano is the
Whakapapa (pronounced Fukkapuppa) resort, and on the other side is
Turoa. Both ski resorts attract large crowds from Auckland and Wellington. The North Island also “boasts” Snow Planet in Auckland which is an indoor snow resort – not really an ideal powderhound destination!
What’s Unique About New Zealand Snowboarding and Skiing? Unlike North America and Australia, there is no (or very limited) tree skiing in New Zealand. This could be perceived as an advantage to those who have a habit of running into trees, but a disadvantage is that in bad weather there are generally no sheltered areas on the mountain and you are left to the mercy of the weather gods. Some of the resorts have to close during bad weather or at least put some of the lifts on hold. You’ll need to keep your holiday itinerary pretty flexible and consider alternative activities such as bungy jumping!
On-mountain accommodation is very rare at the large commercial ski resorts so skiers have to stay off-mountain. Whilst this might pose some inconvenience, the bonus is that the ski towns capture the essence of the New Zealand culture rather than providing a “resortified experience”. The
NZ club fields have the best of both worlds. Most club fields have ski-in ski-out accommodation as well as a traditional “skiwi” culture that features a back-to-basics adventure.
Another unique aspect of skiing in New Zealand (unless you’ve been on a
ski Chile holiday) is the daunting access roads. Many of them are unpaved and lack safety rails, but this just adds to the adventure of skiing in New Zealand!
How Does New Zealand Skiing Compare to Australia? Everyone likes to compare skiing and boarding in New Zealand to that in Australia, and even though each resort is different, there are some generalisations that can be made. The first one is that skiing in New Zealand is a little better than in Oz. Generally the NZ ski resorts have better advanced terrain, more snowfall, and the mountains are a little higher and further south, so the snow is more likely to stay in reasonable shape. Like Australia (and many other parts of the world) the quality of the season varies significantly, and they can have years that are pearlers or shockers. Only some of the large commercial resorts have snow making, whilst the others have to rely solely on Mother Nature.
New Zealand Ski Season The New Zealand ski season generally lasts a little longer than that in Australia. The South Island season generally runs from mid-June to early October, whilst in the North Island the ski season lasts until late October. See our
New Zealand ski resort stats comparison for information on the usual opening and closing dates for each NZ ski field.
NZ Heli Skiing and Cat Skiing The South Island is renowned for great
New Zealand heli skiing. Heli skiing is definitely something that should be on your list of things to do on a NZ ski holiday. Being flown up high in the spectacular Southern Alps is an amazing experience in itself, but getting to ski or board virgin snow makes it an experience to remember forever. Heli skiing in NZ is not just for experts or rich folks. Most operators can tailor an experience to strong intermediate riders and above, and relative to
heli skiing in other parts of the world, NZ heli ski packages are very cheap. Choice eh? See our
heli skiing New Zealand section for more information.
NZ also has a few
cat skiing operations. One example is
Queenstown Snowcats.
New Zealand Ski Packages New Zealand is not a complex country in which to travel so it’s very easy to organise your own itinerary. And by using our search engines to compare prices you can get great deals on
flights,
car hire,
ski insurance and NZ accommodation.
For car hire use
Oodles, a search engine that provides the best rates on big brands such as Hertz, Avis, Budget, Europcar & Thrifty. Also see our
New Zealand travel information page for tips on driving around New Zealand, as well as travel information for flying to and around New Zealand.
There is a huge range of accommodation on Powderhounds. Just navigate to the resort or town you want to visit and then to the respective accommodation page where you can check availability, rates & book online.
More Ski NZ & Snowboard NZ Information For more information on New Zealand ski resorts and how they compare to each other, see our
NZ Ski Resort Comparison page. This includes information on climate, club fields, and mountain statistics such as annual snowfall.
Don’t be sheepish – organise your ski holiday to New Zealand now. You’ll definitely be able to find yourself a baaaa….gain!
New Zealand Ski Packages & Tours
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14 Days (10 days riding) - South Island Safari
Visit up to 10 resorts (Canterbury & Southern Lakes areas) on this adventure of a lifetime! Includes breakfasts, accommodation, lift passes, transfers & guiding on / off the mountain.
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7 Days (5 days riding) - Craigieburn Area
Something a bit different! Ski some of NZ's legendary club fields. Includes lift passes, cooked breakfasts, private lodge accommodation, transfers & guiding on / off the mountain & more...
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7 Days (5 days riding) - Lake Tekapo
Get off the beaten track with some of NZ's best kept ski area secrets! Daily breakfasts, lift passes, hostel style accommodation, transfers & personalised guiding & more....
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Powder Storming New Zealand (10 Days)
Visit several of NZ's top ski areas around Queenstown & Wanaka & have the option to get all the POW you can eat with a heli ski adventure. One tour only - Aug 06– Aug 16 -skiers & boarders.
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Ski Camp - Wanaka / Queenstown NZ
Ski the pipes & powder at NZ's premier resorts and the dedicated jump park - SnowPark. This is a trip designed for serious & wanna-be shredders. 3 dates - boarders & skiers welcome.
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7 - Day South Island Safari
6 resorts in 7 days! Mt Hutt, Ohau, Treble Cone, Cardrona, Coronet Peak and The Remarkables. Includes accommodation, transfers, lift tickets, daily b/fasts & more..
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Self-Drive Tours
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10 Day / 9 Nights - Ride the BIG 5
Suggested itinerary to self-drive and ski New Zealand's top 5 commercial ski areas includes Mt Hutt, (Wanaka) Treble Cone & Cardrona plus (Queenstown) Coronet Peak & Remarkables.
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Ski Queenstown - Self-Drive Packages
Build you own ski package to Queenstown to suit your budget and your personal requirements. Numerous accommodation options to choose from; available online here.
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