I'm jumping the gun a bit as we haven't got the residence visa yet but I'm a keen skier and have been checking out what NZ has to offer. (Just to make fellow skiers jealous, I was skiing on the Hintertux glacier http://www.tiscover.com/1Root/Kontin.../bers...2.html in Austria last week -fantastic!)

I found a very useful site here http://www.snow.co.nz/snowreports/shortreport.asp which reassures me there's plenty of skiing in NZ.

If anyone has personal experience, what are the NZ skiing facilities, slopes, conditions etc really like?

Cheers - Jez

Oh, and how long does it take to drive from Auckland to the nearest good skiing areas?

Thanks - Jez

Hi

It takes about 4 - 5 hours to get to the slopes from Auckland, depending on which of
the two major North Island stations you go to (Ruaphaeu or Turoa. There are club
facilities on the slopes of Mt Taranaki also.

Conditions, well mixed to say the least, especially these recent years. The snow
conditions are a little like Scotland, maybe a bit better. To get the powder and the
decent snow you really need to go to the South Island. Often there are Fly/Drive ski
packages which makes it worthwhile particularly if you are part of a group.

Back to the North Island, facilities are average, nothing fancy and the slopes do get
busy, during weekends if the weather is good or during school holidays. There are a
fairly broad range of slope levels to ski on.

Accomodation, there are a number of motels, backbacker places to stay in the area,
($25 and up a night) the apres ski, nothing to get too excited, best place is the
Powderhorn in Ohakune, Ive worked there a few times and its a nice atmosphere.

Cost, much less than in Europe, but then if your earning NZ dollers its quite
expensive, I havent lived in NZ for over a year but I remember a day pass cost approx
$50-60. There was a special last year and this year, a season pass for $200, compared
to $1000, but dont know if that is going to continue. One of the lift companies has
had financial woes for many years. All up you can have some fun, but if you are used
to Europe or North America you may be a little disapointed.

Good luck in your migration adventure.

Ashley Watson

Thanks Ashley. I know what you mean about Scottish skiing conditions - I lived in Glasgow for 2 years and trekked to Cairngorm a few times to be (often but not always)disappointed by wind and poor snow. Still, NZ sounds OK for an intermediate skier fast heading towards middle age (ie I ski rather more slowly these days and don't get so het up about queuing for the drags and gondolas back uphill!)

Cheers - Jez