Ohakune is a town of about eleven hundred people just south of Tongariro National Park and about seventy kilometres north-east of Whanganui.
Most of Ohakune’s tourists are skiers who come to Mount Ruapehu’s two skifields, Turoa and Whakapapa, despite Ruapehu being an active volcano. Turoa also provides New Zealand’s only ski-lift access to a glacier, Mangaehuehu.
In June, Ohakune hosts the Mountain Mardi Gras ski party, and the Big Mountain Short Film Festival.
The town is almost as well known for its Big Carrot. Every October, Ohakune is the scene of a Carrot Carnival.
In summer, Ohakune still provides an excellent base for outdoor activities like trekking in the National Park or canoeing on the Whanganui River.
The Ohakune Old Coach Road has been restored as a walking and cycling track through Tongariro National Park. It includes the spectacular Hapuawhenua Viaduct, built in 1908. The route is littered with remains of old cobbled coach roads and rail works.
