Ohakune
Ohakune is a town of 1,400 people (2020) in the Ruapehu district of the central North Island of New Zealand, adjacent to Tongariro National Park.
Understand
Ohakune is well regarded as a winter destination within New Zealand. It is at the base of Ruapehu mountain and is known as the ski capital of the North Island. Winters are the busy season for Ohakune, attracting skiers from all over New Zealand, Australia and beyond. The town makes a delightful stopover in the summertime too, when visitors are fewer and the walks and hikes around town are inviting.
The town is divided into two parts. The "upper" part, also called the Junction, is around the train station and its vicinity. It is home to a number of lodges, inns and cafes, and is also closest to Tongariro National Park. The lower part of town is larger and contains shops, restaurants, an i center, as well as a riverside park.
Get in
By car
Ohakune is on State Highway 49.
By train
- Main article: Rail travel in New Zealand
The Northern Explorer has trains three times per week from Auckland or Wellington. The train station is within easy walking distance to lodges and hotels in the upper part of the town.
- 1 Ohakune railway station, Thames St.
By bus
- Intercity has a daily service from Auckland and from Palmerston North
Get around
You can walk from the upper to the lower part of town in a 45 minutes or so. During the winter, a bus service runs every half hour until the bars close. Other car and taxi services are available during the winter months. Ask at your lodge.
While you can walk along the sidewalks to get from one part of town to another, for better views take scenic walkway along the riverside also connects the two. From the upper part of town, cross the river over the old bridge, then walk 100 metres or so to the trail opening on the left side of Old River Road. Enjoy the swinging pedestrian bridge.
See
- 1 The World's Largest Carrot (Ohakune Carrot Adventure Park), 4a Rangataua Road. 24 hours daily. A 7.5-m-tall model carrot, originally used in an advert for a bank, then donated to Ohakune in 1984.
- Ruapehu Mountain.
- 2 Ohakune Railway Museum, 52 Thames St (near the station). Th-Su 10AM–2PM. A small volunteer run exhibition, with a slightly random collection of railway equipment and a display on the Tangiwai Disaster (a nearby railway bridge collapsed in 1953 killing 151). Donation.
- 3 National Army Museum, State Highway 1, Waiouru (about 30km east of Ohakune.), ☏ +64 6 387 6911. Daily 9AM-4:30PM. $15.
Do
- Walk or hike in Tongariro National Park. The park's entrance and Ranger Station is located on Mountain Road, just north of the train station. The Rimu and Mangawhero Forest are short walks and easily accessible for those staying in Ohakune.
- Skateboard on the half pipe, located along Clyde Street in the lower part of town.
Buy
- 1 New World, 12 Goldfinch St. daily 7AM - 7:30PM (7PM on Su). Supermarket
Eat
- The Bearing Point Restaurant & Bar, 55 Clyde Street, ☏ +64 6-385 9006.
- Powderhorn Chateau, 194 Mangawhero Tce (Bottom of Mountain Road), ☏ +64 6 385 8888, info@powderhorn.co.nz. The Powderkeg Restaurant – Open from 4PM until late.
- OCR Cafe (Old Coach Road Ohakune), 2 Tyne Street, ☏ +64 6 385 8322. Open from 8:30am on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday only. Dine at OCR cafe Ohakune. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, bar.
- The Suitcase, 5 Rimu Street.
Drink
- Powder Keg Bar and Cafe
Sleep
- 1 LKNZ Backpackers, 1 Rata St, ☏ +64 6 385 9169. tents $20, beds from $30, rooms from $100.
- 2 YHA Ohakune, 60 Thames St (near the railway station), ☏ +64 6 385 8797. 46-bed hostel in a building built in 1906. bed $28, double room $70.