Raetihi township is a neighbour town of Ohakune in the Ruapehu district of the central North Island of New Zealand, adjacent to Tongariro National Park.

Understand

Raetihi, New Zealand

Raetihi is located on the edge of the beautiful Tongariro National Park and boasts amazing views of the three sacred volcanos Ruapehu, Tongariro and Ngauruhoe. Formerly a forestry milling town now regardless of the season tourists flock to the region to explore the outdoors. Because of this, booking accommodations in Raetihi in ski season will most often be a little cheaper than in the ski centres.

Different than the neighbouring towns Raetihi has many activities outside of the ski season including the infamous Raetihi Gutbuster.

Get in

By bus

• Intercity has a daily service from Auckland and from Palmerston North. You can also use this for the ten minute trip from Ohakune.

Get around

Raetihi is small enough that the entire town is walking distance of the main shopping street, Seddon Street.

Crossing over State Highway 4 from Seddon Street leads on to the Raetihi Ohakune Road and a 10 minute drive to Ohakune.

See

Waimarino museum

• Glow Worm Grotto. All year round. (updated Nov 2015)
• Mount Ruapehu. (updated Nov 2015)
• Whanganui River. (updated Nov 2015)
• 1 Waimarino Museum, 101 Seddon St. Sun 1PM – 4PM. Local museum in the old railway station, with an old jail and police stables. (updated May 2018)

Do

Raetihi

• Raetihi Gutbuster. April; Easter Sunday.. Mountain bike and run challenge (updated Nov 2015)
• Raetihi Royal Theatre. All year round. (updated Nov 2015)
• Makotuku River Track. All year round. Escape the village and take a serene walk along the river track (updated Nov 2015)
• Raetihi Country Market. Most months of the year. (updated Nov 2015)
• Waimarino A&P Show. February. (updated Nov 2015)
• Waimarino Rodeo. March. The oldest continuing running rodeo in New Zealand (updated Nov 2015)
• Waimarino Art Awards. July. (updated Nov 2015)
• Raetihi Ripper. November. 2 day trail bike ride through open farm land and forestry tracks (updated Nov 2015)
• Raetihi Christmas Carnival. December. (updated Nov 2015)
• Tongariro Crossing. See the Tongariro Alpine Crossing section of the Tongariro National Park article (updated Nov 2015)

Buy

• The Barbed Wire Gallery, 80 Seddon Street. (updated Nov 2015)

Eat

• 1 Angel Louise Cafe, 48 Seddon Street (turn off state highway 4 into the town along Seddon Street), ☏ +6463854976, angellouisecafe@gmail.com. Breakfast served 7:00AM to 11:00AM and lunch 11:00 to 3:00PM. New Zealand café with excellent coffee, cabinet foods and a full menu for breakfast and then lunch. Various From $4.50. (updated Mar 2019)

Sleep

• 1 Heartlanz Motor Inn, 7 Seddon St. Motel with some cheaper hotel bedrooms. Cafe offering takeaways from $10. Motel from $145, hotel from $45. (updated Oct 2017)

Go next

• National Park Village
• Ohakune
• Tongariro National Park
• Turangi
• Whanganui