Upper Ruapehu & Whakapapa Ski Area
Meads Wall
Easy 1.0 km 20–30 min return
Ski area · Upper Ruapehu & Whakapapa Ski Area
Top of Bruce Road / Iwikau Village
1,630 m SnowAlpinePanorama
The highest road end in the North Island and the base of the Whakapapa ski area.
Bruce Road ends at 1,630 m among the club lodges of Iwikau Village. From the car park there are wide views north across the plateau to Ngāuruhoe and Tongariro, and up the mountain to Pinnacle Ridge and the Whakapapa glaciers. In winter it is a snow playground; in summer it is the start of the Sky Waka and the upper-mountain trails.
❄ Reliable snow at the car park from July to September; patches often remain into November. Chains may be required on Bruce Road.
Top of Bruce Road / Iwikau Village © Kiwiz1338 · CC BY 4.0 
© Kiwiz1338 · CC BY 3.0 Tracks that reach Top of Bruce Road / Iwikau Village
© Kesara Rathnayake · CC BY-SA 2.0 Upper Ruapehu & Whakapapa Ski Area
Waterfalls Descent Trail
Intermediate 2.4 kmone way 1–2 hr descent ↑ 7 m
Also nearby
#2
Lava landscape· 1,700 m · Upper Ruapehu & Whakapapa Ski Area
Meads Wall
A towering wall of jagged lava beside the ski-field base, used for Emyn Muil in The Lord of the Rings.
Filming location Meads Wall
#3
Viewpoint· 2,020 m · Upper Ruapehu & Whakapapa Ski Area
Sky Waka & Knoll Ridge
A gondola ride from 1,630 m to 2,020 m over lava gullies to New Zealand’s highest café.
Viewpoint· 2,300 m · Upper Ruapehu & Whakapapa Ski Area
Skyline Ridge
A 2,300 m ridge above Knoll Ridge with the widest panorama on the mountain.