Skiing in New Zealand

When to ski in New Zealand?

The ski season in New Zealand begins runs from June to  October, in most years. 

Scheduled openings/closings (estimates)

Mt. Hutt    June 13 - October 4

Coronet Peak   June 13 - October 4

Cardona   June 13 - October 11

Porters   June 19 - October 4

The Remarkables  June 20 - September 27

Treble Cone   June 25 - September 27

Ohau   June 27 - October 4

Roundhill  June 27 - September 13

Mt Cheeseman   June 27 - end September

Mt. Dobson   July 3 - October 4 

Where to ski in New Zealand?

1) Queenstown & Wanaka resorts:

The lakefront town on the shores of Lake Wakatipu is truly spectacular, surrounded by the towering Southern Alps. Nearby resorts include Coronet Peak and The Remarkables. One hour further are the Wanaka resorts of Cardrona and Treble Cone. If you like big towns with lots of action, head to Queenstown, if you want a more laid back, small town feel, then Wanaka is your place.
 

2)  Christchurch & Canterbury Resorts:

Canterbury's Aoraki / Mount Cook Mackenzie region is one of the special places in ski country and the world in general. With New Zealand's highest peak Aoraki / Mount Cook, fertile grasslands, beautiful lakes and the city of Christchurch (listed as #2 on the New York Times Places to Go in 2014), you will certainly not regret a trip to this special corner of the world. Ski areas in this region include Mt. Hutt, Porters and the Mackenzie resorts of Roundhill, Mount Dobson, and Ohau. 

How to get to New Zealand for my ski holiday?

New Zealand is a great destination for skiing and snowboarding, especially for the snow starved masses of the Northern Hemisphere (that’s you Americans and Canadians) during our summer. Most ski areas are located on the south island, so you’ll be booking your airline flight into Queenstown and Christchurch. From the airport, rental cars and motor homes are available. Most will come equipped with snow chains for winter driving, but you should seriously consider renting a 4WD vehicle. South Island ski areas ("fields") are close together, so you should plan on checking out more than one and that will require having your own wheels.

In addition, as a non driving option, it is possible to take a commercial coach or taxi. Daily transport services to Mt Hutt operate from Christchurch.