About the WTMC Ruapehu Lodge

Located in Iwikau Village on the northern slopes of Mt Ruapehu, right next to Whakapapa Skifield, the WTMC Lodge is the perfect retreat for outdoor enthusiasts, adventurers, and nature lovers. Whether you’re shredding the gnar or corduroy in winter or exploring the volcanic wonderland in summer, our lodge offers comfortable, social, and affordable accommodation in an unbeatable location.

Designed with a welcoming alpine-style atmosphere, our lodge caters primarily to Wellington Tramping and Mountaineering Club (WTMC) members, but non-members are also welcome when space is available. It’s a fantastic base for skiing, snowboarding, tramping, climbing, and exploring our Dual World Heritage Tongariro National Park.

During summer, our lodge is a popular choice for trampers, rock climbers, outdoor training groups, school and college trips, and family groups, thanks to the diverse range of activities nearby—from volcanic treks, climbing, mountain biking, mountain running, to scenic gondola rides to the highest alpine restaurant in NZ, as well as cultural experiences.

Book your stay at the lodge and experience the best of Mt Ruapehu in every season!

How does it work?

The WTMC Lodge offers cosy bunkroom accommodation, and has a large dining area and lounge, bathrooms, drying room, and storage for skis etc.

The lodge has no staff so all guests contribute to keeping the lodge running via a roster to undertake duties such as preparing food, cooking meals, washing dishes or light cleaning.  This should only take about 30-60 minutes of your time over a weekend.

There will be a Lodge Leader who is trained to open up and close down the lodge. They will talk you through fire safety and other important information, as well as being able to sort out most common issues during your stay.  They will ensure all the jobs on the duty roster are allocated.

Where is the Lodge located and how do I get there?

The lodge is near the top of the Whakapapa ski field access road (‘Top of the Bruce’), and is about 100 m walk from the top car-park. For detailed notes on the lodge location and how to find it if arriving in the dark check out Lodge Location below.

It’s about a 100 m walk from the road to the lodge, via a path that will be snowy, rocky, or wet depending on the weather. Plan on it being a blizzard when you get there – keep warm clothes and good boots near the top of your gear, and have your gear in something you can carry for about 10 minutes.  A backpack is a good choice, Samsonite rolling luggage not so much but still doable.

If you get to the lodge early, please drop your luggage in the ski room and do not move into the bunkrooms until the last of the previous occupants have vacated the lodge (which will be 4pm at latest).  This gives the last occupants time to clean up and clear their luggage.  Feel free to come into the lounge and help yourself to tea and coffee (as long as you keep clear of the people cleaning up).

What if the road is weather affected?

The location at the top of the Whakapapa ski road means that access is sometimes affected by snow and ice. This could prevent you getting to the lodge, and it could also prevent the Lodge Leader getting there. We need to have a trained Lodge Leader present when the lodge is open, so the lodge will be locked if they are unable to make it. Weather causes issues on one weekend every couple of years or so on average, but it’s something to be aware of.

If the weather is looking dicey leading up to your weekend, keep in touch with your Lodge Leader to check if the lodge will be accessible. (You’ll get their mobile number and email sent to you a few days before your trip). Also pay attention to Current Status

You should also have snow chains with you even if you have a 4WD. There’s little local demand in Wellington for chains so it pays to shop outside of Wellington.  TradeMe usually have good deals available, search for ‘snow chains’. TCB in Ohakune usually stock snow chains.

What do I eat?

During the snow season from the first weekend of July until the closing weekend of the season, food is provided. Lodge guests are expected, as a part of the duty roster, to prepare breakfast and dinner. On the day you arrive and depart, dinner is not provided, but there is almost always something you can pull together if you need it.

Ingredients to make lunch are also provided. This includes things such as bread, fillings, fruit and cake. 

Dinners are based on a preset menu and are designed to cater to a regular diet as well as for vegetarians. If you are a vegetarian, it is your responsibility to specify in your booking comments how many in your party are vegetarian. When this is not specified, no allowance will be made for vegetarian diet when ordering food. 

If you have dietary requirements outside of what is provided you need to self-cater some of your meals. You can check the Preset Menu to see what is planned for your stay and use ingredients available in your self-catered menu. It also makes sense for you to roster yourself on the food preparation crew if you need to know what’s going into your food. Keep in mind, the lodge is run by the club and the people staying at the lodge. These volunteers are not qualified chefs and cannot cater for specific dietary requirements. 

In the summer, the lodge is self-catered, except when specifically booked by large groups like club trips, who will pay a food subsidy on top of their summer rates. Your lodge / trip leader will let you know if this is the case.

Where do I sleep?

All of the bunk rooms are heated. There are five rooms that sleep between two and six people and one 10-bed bunk room.

You need to bring a sleeping bag and a pillowcase.  (You get a mattress and a pillow.)  If you forget your pillowcase, a clean t-shirt makes a good substitute!  There are also extra blankets if you get cold.

If you book as a group we’ll do our best to put you all together in the best-sized room for you.  There is also room for your porta-cot in most bunkrooms – let us know if you’re bringing one and we’ll do our best to get you a family-friendly space for it.

We have a mix of single and double bunks. Bunk allocations are normally done a few days before the start of your stay. If you have any specific bunk or room requests please note these when booking, but we cannot guarantee that we’ll be able to accommodate them.

What other facilities does the lodge have?

The lodge has normal services such as power, water, heating, phone, cellular 3G signal, and free Wi-Fi.

Facilities include:

• Male and female bathroom and shower facilities (bring your own towels and toiletries)
• Wet room and drying room for snow gear
• Full catering kitchen with all utensils
• Dining room and spacious lounge
• Workbench for ski/ and board tuning
• Stereo with radio, CD and phono plug
• A library and toys/ board games.

What facilities are nearby?

The nearest pubs and restaurants are 6km away at Whakapapa Village, and fuel and groceries are 20km away at National Park village.  There is a cafe/bar on the skifield that is open during the day and late on Saturdays if there is night skiing.

There are plenty of activities in Tongariro National Park.  We’ve listed some of them in the What you can do at the Lodge section below.

What else do I need to know?

Take a look at the Briefing Document that the Lodge Leader will take you through when you arrive.  It contains important fire safety facts as well as other useful information.