WTMC Ruapehu Lodge Blog
The Wellington Tramping and Mountaineering Club (WTMC) owns and operates a lodge at Iwikau Village on Mt Ruapehu. This blog is intended to complement the lodge webpage by offering general news about the lodge and for readers to be able to comment. It will slowly develop over hopefully many years.
The WTMC Ruapehu Lodge at Iwikau Village is the comfortable, reasonably priced, backpacker-style accommodation for outdoor enthusiasts year-round, and it’s only 5 minute’s walk from the Whakapapa skifield.
Whether you’re here for skiing, hiking, or simply soaking in the wonderful alpine scenery of our Dual World Heritage National Park, there’s always some fun happenings at the lodge.
In this new blog, we’ll share updates on lodge events, visitor experiences, and important news.
Keep reading for the latest updates.
Ngāuruhoe summit flyby – March 2025
Club members’ trip – April 2025
Two club members spent 4 days in sunny calm weather wandering about the Ruapehu area including visiting an ice cave in the Summit Plateau Glacier. The story of the trip to this remarkable feature is in a post in the WTMC Newsletter.
CommentAlpine Club trip – March 2025
A group from the Auckland and Wellington Sections of the NZ Alpine Club spent a weekend at the lodge and made good use of the fine weather climbing the 60+ routes near the lodge in both trad and sport ranging from grade 6 to 31.
CommentClub trip – February 2025
The summer weekend adventure at the lodge was a real blast! A group of 12 enthusiastic punters made the most of some great weather, taking on some of the best outdoor experiences the region has to offer.
- Hiked the Tongariro Alpine Crossing – the most popular day walk in the park for good reasons
- Mountain biked the 42 Traverse – a must-do for MTBs
- Visited the Tama Lakes – an easy trail to a scenic gem
- Summited Te Heuheu – an exciting challenge with rewarding views.
- Enjoyed a relaxing walk around Lake Rotopounamu – a hidden jewel surrounded by native forest.
If you missed out, don’t worry! Another epic weekend is planned for 9–11 May. With only 12 spots available, this action-packed adventure will likely fill up fast.
- Trip date: 9–11 May
- Location: Club Lodge, Mt Ruapehu
- Limited spaces: Only 12 participants.
CommentClub trip – Winter Solstice 2018
This was a big club trip of 42 members (10 people sleeping in Graduates Ski Lodge). Groups ranged all over the mountain including skiing and boarding on artificial snow in Happy Valley. The evening meal was cooked by an Italian chef. A weekend to remember.
CommentClub trip – a summit attempt from the lodge
This trip was an attempt by nine punters to climb to the summit of Mt Ruapehu. But the weather had other ideas. Nevertheless the group had an exhilarating time out in the wind and rain. Toby wrote the story of their adventures for the WTMC Annual Journal.
CommentOn Ruapehu’s slope
Our lodge remains a steadfast shelter
A place built with the toughened hands
Of those that knew the mountain’s moods
It is more than just walls and a roof
It’s a pause
A place of rest between adventure and comfort
Here, when dawn breaks in thin threads of light over weathered rock
And the first steps outside feel both small and profound
It’s a reminder that to travel through the wild landscape
Is to carry a deep, unspoken respect
And to return, year after year
Is to honour its unyielding spirit
The lodge speaks of trails taken, snow slopes skied
Each bunk a pause for weary limbs and cheerful hearts
A place where journeys intersect
And strangers become companions
Bound by the same love of rugged paths and shifting skies
The lodge keeps these stories
Of journeys, of blizzards, of stars seen in a cold dark night
Of friendships formed on long, winding paths
And the promise that the mountain is eternal
Changing but somehow timeless.
by Dorothy Gimbal.
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