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.

Main street

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, with mountain biking particularly popular.

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, a tourist info center (i-site), as well as a riverside park.

Get in

By car

Ohakune is on State Highway 49 off Highway 1, about 3.5 hours north of Wellington and 4.4 hours south of Auckland. You can also come in via Highway 4 from Whanganui (1.5 hrs), which is quite twisty but scenic.

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. (updated Apr 2021)

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

The World's Largest Carrot

• 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. (updated Apr 2023)
• Ruapehu Mountain. (updated Nov 2015)
• 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. (updated Dec 2015)
• 3 National Army Museum, State Highway 1, Waiouru (about 30km east of Ohakune.), ☏ +64 6 387 6911. Daily 9AM-4:30PM. $15. 

Do

Particularly in winter, most visitors come here to ski and snowboard, with Tūroa only 20 minutes away and Whakapapa around 45 min. Conditions permitting, you can self-drive or take a shuttle from town. See Skiing on Mt Ruapehu for the full scoop.

• 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). Ohakune's only supermarket is well equipped, but gets packed in peak season and can run low on items. (updated Nov 2015)

Eat

• 1 Cyprus Tree, 77 Clyde Street, ☏ +64 6 385 8857. Don't be fooled by the Mediterranean name, this perennially packed family favorite serves up meaty mains. Fireplace & kids' play area. 
• 2 Chocolate Eclair Shop, 78 Clyde St. This friendly Filipino bakery is best known for its eponymous eclairs, although Parisian patissiers would hardly recognize these cream-filled puffs slathered with chocolate cake frosting. Try the custard square for something less teeth-shatteringly sweet. Eclairs $4. 

Drink

• 1 Powderkeg, 194 Mangawhero Tce (bottom of Mountain Road), ☏ +64 6 385 8888, info@powderhorn.co.nz. Memorably described as the place where the party in Ohakune both begins and ends, this wood-paneled joint has a roaring fireplace, a vast selection of drinks and apres-ski vibes. 

Sleep

• 1 LKNZ Backpackers, 1 Rata St, ☏ +64 6 385 9169. tents $20, beds from $30, rooms from $100. (updated Nov 2015)
• 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. (updated Nov 2015)
• 3 Rocky Mountain Chalets, 20 Rangataua Rd, ☏ +64 6 385 9545. 2/3-bedroom self-catering cabins right off SH49, about 500m from town. Not luxurious, but clean, comfortable and well-equipped with private cooking, laundry and ski drying facilities, plus you get access to communal hot tubs and a tiny sauna. 2br chalets from $300 (high season). (updated Nov 2015)

Go next

• National Park Village
• Raetihi
• Tongariro National Park
• Turangi