Whakapapa a Cool Destination

Skiing down the side of active volcano Mt Ruapehu, the Herald Sun’s Sarah Nicholson is “getting to know the Whakapapa ski area… and keeping an eye out for a puff of smoke or vent of steam that might signal an eruption.” “This peak is the North Island’s tallest mountain, rising 2797m above the windswept landscape surrounding Lake Taupo. This is a friendly place, a destination that feels more like a club hill than a major winter destination. Today I’m sticking to a gaggle of blue runs out past a bowl called the Amphitheatre where I can just see the sparkling water of Lake Taupo.”