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 Ohakune, in the Ruapehu District,
is the town at the southern gateway to the Tongariro National
Park World Heritage Site, at the foot of Mt Ruapehu. It is known as the aprés
ski capital of the North Island, the Carrot Capital of New
Zealand, a forestry centre, a farming centre, and home to
around 1400 people. It is a pleasant country town in summer
- attractive as a base for numerous outdoor activities - and
a lively snow sports centre in winter, being at the base of the Ohakune Mountain Road which provides access to Turoa Ski Area on the southern slopes of Mt Ruapehu.
It has been settled since around the 1600's,
first by the Ngati Rangi (Sky People) and Ngati Uenuku (Rainbow
People) sub-tribes. Later, railway surveyors arrived looking
for a way through the Central North Island. Once the area
was opened up, sawmillers arrived, Chinese market gardeners
and then farmers.
In the 1950's and 60's, the can-do spirit
of the Ohakune people came to the fore as they built the Ohakune
Mountain Road , providing access to the southern slopes of
Mt Ruapehu and Turoa. This spirit continued later with the efforts to
attract a commercial operator of the ski fields of Turoa.
Through its history, Ohakune has attracted
all kinds of people willing to work hard to create a 'new
world' in the southern Ruapehu Disitrct and this has led to a vibrant, diverse people in a
town that provides the opportunity for a wide variety of experiences
for visitors too.
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