Winter 2022

New Zealand’s Winter season begins in June and goes through to August - most of our snow falls in the mountainous areas, like the Central Plateau on the North Island, and the Southern Alps on the South Island. During the winter months, New Zealand becomes a major skiing destination in the Southern Hemisphere attracting visitors from across the globe.

New Zealand’s ski season typically runs from early June to late October or early November across both the North Island and South Island. Most of the ski fields in the country are within a 2 to 3 hours’ drive of the nearest major airport, making them extremely easy to get to.

If you’re a winter sports enthusiast you’re in for a good time! We've had so much snow this year we can't measure the amount of snow that we've been getting. We haven't seen a start to the winter season like this in more than a decade! All this snow is going to set us up for a skiing and snowboarding experience to remember!

Ski Fields Opening and Closing Dates

Below will list the season dates for some of the major ski fields in New Zealand. Do note - these dates are subject to change depending on snowfall and snow conditions at that time. We recommend that you check in with the ski resort you plan to visit before the lead-up to your planned ski trip.

Mt Ruapehu (North Island)

• Happy Valley: 23 June - 2 October
• Whakapapa: 8 July - 24 October
• Turoa: 9 July - 24 October

Hanmer Springs (South Island)

• Hanmer Springs Ski Area: Early July

Canterbury (South Island)

• Mt Hutt: 10 June - 16 October
• Mt Cheeseman: Early July - Early October
• Porters Alpine Resort: 25 June - Early October

Queenstown (South Island)

• Coronet Peak: 17 June - 25 September
• The Remarkables: 18 June - 16 October

Wanaka (South Island)

• Cardrona Alpine Resort: 11 June - 16 October
• Treble Cone: 25 June - 25 September

Start planning and get your booking so you can enjoy the mountainous slopes, there's a lot of snow on our mountain peaks to look forward to!

Save Money with Omega’s Ski Season Saver!

We all know that skiing and snowboarding are expensive endeavours. Working out how much money a skiing holiday is going to cost can be a daunting task.

Firstly, you have travel expenses…flights and transfers aren’t cheap when you have a carload of family members to bring along. Then you have accommodation, food, and drinks, entry passes, lessons…not to mention ski gear. It all adds up rather quickly!

At Omega, we recognise this and want to help you get more bang for your buck. Why purchase ski gear when you only use it a few days a year? Renting is an affordable alternative and will help shave down the cost of your winter holiday. Showbiz and Browns Ski Shop are our 2022 South Island Ski Partners. They provide the highest possible quality in ski, snowboard, boot, and clothing hire and they make the rental process as easy as possible.

And to make things even better, when you present your Omega Car Rental Key Tag at the point of sale you’ll receive a 15% - 20% discount on all rental equipment including ski clothing hire.

Winter is a great time to travel to escape your daily routine and there's never a shortage of things to do in the wintertime. Make your travel plans with Omega Rental Cars - we have been providing modern rental vehicles with fantastic service and great prices for almost three decades.

You will always be greeted with helpful and professional service, it's the Omega way.