Mt Ruapehu entered voluntary administration last year, but is hoping for a good ski season ahead. Photo: RNZ
The company that operates Mt Ruapehu's ski slopes has announced it will sell winter season passes for 2023.
Ruapehu Alpine Lifts remains in voluntary administration, but will begin selling the passes soon.
The news comes after a period of uncertainty for the region, including the abrupt closure of Chateau Tongariro last month.
RAL administrator John Fisk said he is hopeful that after years of Covid and weather disruption, the ski season on Mt Ruapehu will be a success.
"All the work we've been to date has been to prepare for that.
"We're very grateful that we've had funding from government and from the ANZ bank to enable work to be done in the summer that prepares the mountain for the winter season.
"This is the next step in that process. It's a very important step to get the season pass campaign under way and that will help build towards winter."
RAL had received $10 million from the government, but Fisk said there was no plan to ask for more.
And while season passes would be available within weeks, the administrators were still working through the situation for life pass holders.
However the passes work, snow lovers would be able to explore both sides of the mountain this year.
"The intention is to have both Turoa and Whakapapa operating for 2023.
"We're looking at slightly modifying the lift arrangement on the Turoa side of the mountain, but there will still be access to over 1000 hectares of free-ride terrain."
RAL went into voluntary administration in October, and Fisk said its future would become clearer following a meeting with creditors that must be called by early May.
"I'm incredibly optimistic about [the season]. I think there's a lot of goodwill out there to support this.
"I don't think that the government would have funded us unless they recognised that this was important as well."
In Ohakune, TCB Ski Board and Bike salesman James Bell said news of the season passes had given the town a boost.
"That just indicates that there is wonderful opportunity [and] things are still progressing in our community.
"The mountain is not going anywhere and the passion of people isn't going anywhere, so long as the environment co-operates."
The season might look a little different, though, he said.
"From what I've seen from RAL it just might not be the systems that people are used to but we're all, as a community, elated and excited to be seeing some progress."
The district had to play its part too if it wanted to remain a pull for tourists, Bell said.
"If we don't do maintenance and if we don't update and upkeep our community things go to the wayside, both financially and in terms of visits, like we are seeing with the chateau."
Businesswoman Christine Hickman, the chairperson of the Future of Ohakune Project, agrees.
She said the group wanted the council to bring forward a $2 million revitalisation project for the town to the coming financial year.
"The success of Ohakune is a significant driver of the success of the district.
"The way we feel at the moment is Ohakune needs the focus and commitment of our local council to bring it up to the level of quality that you see at other parts of the country.
"This is really important if we are going to be able to compete in a very competitive domestic tourism market."
Hickman and Bell said the region had diversified recently into becoming a summer hotspot too, as local bike trails proved popular.
But this summer the region took a blow with the sudden closure of the chateau.
Ruapehu mayor Weston Kirton welcomed news of the ski season passes.
But he acknowledged the unsettling effect RAL's troubles and the chateau's closure had brought.
"People are anxious, waiting to hear what's happening, quite angry at the fact it's closed without any recognition of pride people had in previous years.
"People are going and knocking on the door, saying, 'I had my wedding or honeymoon there', and wanting to take a last photo, and from what I understand they're being denied that access."
Kirton had heard from three interested parties about the chateau, one from New Zealand and two from overseas.
The chateau is about to be transferred into the Department of Conservation's hands, as 30-year leaseholder Kah Corporation exits the building.
DOC's Tongariro district operations manager George Taylor said he could not yet give a timeline about the historic building's next steps.
"There's lots of things to manage and it will take a lot of time to work through them, and we've not yet considered any longer-term future for the chateau. It's too early to say."
He confirmed DOC had received inquiries from interested parties and would move as quickly as possible.
"We're all part of the local community as well, so all feel that anxiety. We're doing as much as we can to understand what the future options are for the chateau, knowing that time is of the essence to understand what the future could be.
"Hopefully a positive outcome will be forthcoming in the very near future."
