Ruapehu Country Lodge

Top choice in Taupo & the Ruapehu Region


Around 5km west of Ōhakune on the road to Raetihi, this B&B is the perfect combination of country elegance and classy decor. Large bedrooms have beautiful garden outlooks, and there's an outdoor hot tub for an après soak. You'll get a friendly welcome from hosts Heather and Peter, as well as from the alpacas beside the driveway that's like a hedge maze.

The lodge is separated from the local golf course by the meandering Makaranui Stream.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Taupo & the Ruapehu Region attractions

1. Big Carrot

2.81 MILES

Maybe not so much 'Don't Miss' as 'Impossible to Miss', this roadside tribute to Ōhakune's biggest crop was erected in 1984. Carrots were first grown in…

2. Lake Rotokura

9.03 MILES

For some peaceful moments away from the mountains, consider a walk to this bush-smothered lake, the centrepiece of the Lake Rotokura Ecological Reserve,…

3. Mt Ruapehu

14.78 MILES

Mt Ruapehu (2797m) is the North Island's highest mountain and one of the world’s most active volcanoes. One year-long eruption began in March 1945,…

4. Kawana Flour Mill

16.12 MILES

Just off the Whanganui River Rd near Matahiwi is the restored 1854 Kawana Flour Mill and waterwheel – an exercise in optimism. There's historical info, a…

5. St Joseph’s Church

17.11 MILES

Around a corner in the Whanganui River Rd in Jerusalem, the picture-perfect, red-and-mustard spire of St Joseph’s Church stands tall on a spur of land…

6. National Army Museum

17.51 MILES

At the southern end of the town, in a large, almost-Stalinist concrete castle, is the National Army Museum. Proclaimed as ‘history without the boring bits…

7. Operiki Pa

18.68 MILES

An archaeological site just off the Whanganui River Rd: what was once the centre of somewhere is now the middle of nowhere.

8. Koriniti Marae

19.19 MILES

Unless there's a function happening, you can wander around Koriniti Marae and the little white-painted Koriniti chapel, between the Whanganui River Rd and…