NEW ZEALAND SCENERY BY

In episode of the Lab Notebook, we are looking at another travel piece. North Island skiing…. staying in your van!

So, now the ski season is soon upon us, its time to dust off that ski gear and get ready for a road trip to Mount Ruapehu. This is something we have been doing for a few years now, and in this article, we hope to answer three main questions. 

          1.      Why would you stay in your van?

          2.      Where can you stay?

          3.      Is it cold?

A quick break at Turoa last season

The big one. Why? Sometimes, this is a really good question. Waking up in the dark, with snow on the ground outside and having slept in thermal base layers, often makes you ask why too! However, there is a bunch of really great reasons to camp for skiing. 

• ·Accommodation availability. With the proximity of Mount Ruapehu to the North Island’s cities, accommodation can get booked out pretty far in advance. No such problems with the van, we have found there has always been space at the local DOC sites (although bookings are now required for this year). This means you have so much flexibility on when you head over, which leads us nicely into our next point.
• ·Weather unpredictability. As we all know, the mountain weather forecasts are notoriously unreliable over about 3 days out, and Mount Ruapehu can suffer from some pretty decent storms. So, booking accommodation weeks in advance can be a little tricky to get right. This is the key advantage of taking the van. You can spend the week watching the weather and if you have found a window, get over there! Throw the kit in and hit the road!
• ·Lunch/Coffee Breaks. An advantage of taking your accommodation up the hill, when those tired legs need a break, you can head back to the van for some R&R. It’s a perfect spot to grab some lunch, rest the legs, review that morning’s rad go-pro footage and hit up the socials. 

The biggest benefit to van skiing to us is flexibility. Flexibility on when and where you go! 

Where can you stay? There is a bunch of camp sites around the mountain, and some hostels/backpackers will even let you stay in their carpark and use their facilities for a small donation. Its worth ringing around the backpackers before heading down and asking for availability. 

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In this notebook, we’re going to discuss a couple of really great DOC sites to check out. Availability is usually pretty good and both have toilet facilities. We would recommend one on the Whakapapa side and one on the Turoa side.

At the Whakapapa side, we have the Mangahuia Campsite (https://www.doc.govt.nz/mangahuia-campsite ). There are 21 sites, with 15 suitable for Campervans and its $15 per adult (booking is required). It’s situated between National Park and Whakapapa, around 15mins drive from the ski field car parks. 

At the Turoa side, we have the Mangawhero Campsite (https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/central-north-island/places/tongariro-national-park/things-to-do/campsites/mangawhero-campsite/). There are 12 sites here and its $15 per adult (booking is required). It’s situated on the Ohakune Mountain Road, between Ohakune and Turoa, around 15mins from the ski field car parks. An added benefit is that its also a short walk from the ever popular Powder Horn (https://www.powderhorn.co.nz/) for food and drinks after a long day on the hill. 

Both sites are great DOC facilities, within 20mins of the ski field and offer a great place to park your van! 

Bluebird Day at Whakapapa

Early morning at the Mangawhero Campsite

The third question, is it cold?. Well, we run no additional heating system in our kitsets, so, yes. It is cold. 

However, we have developed a few key tricks to make it pretty comfortable. 

• ·Hot water bottle. Make sure you pack a hot water bottle. Boil it up before bedtime, and it’ll look after you all night long. 
• ·Thermal base layers are great for keeping warm on the mountain, but also super comfy to sleep in. So, take spares. 
• ·A thick duvet. Pack lots of bedding. 
• ·In the morning, start the van and run the heaters as your getting ready to drive up the hill. As the vans are pretty small, you’ll start to feel the effect of the heaters pretty soon. Couple that with a hot cup of coffee, and you’ll be ready for a days shredding on the hill. 

Winter is coming, so get the kit ready, invest in a hot water bottle and keep a keen eye on the forecast (https://www.snow-forecast.com/resorts/Whakapapa/6day/mid). We’ll see you down there in the DOC sites soon!