This year marks 21 years of Subaru of New Zealand and Ruapehu Alpine Lifts’ (RAL) partnership and 40 years of skiing at Turoa.
Subaru has been the Official Vehicle Supplier to RAL since 1998, initially with Turoa, and with both Whakapapa and Turoa since 2000 when RAL acquired Turoa.
“Our 21-year relationship with Subaru is a partnership we really value and is a great synergy with our brand. We love to get outdoors and the Subarus can take us pretty much anywhere,” Mt Ruapehu’s General Manager of Sales and Marketing Michelle Caldwell says.
“The RAL team love driving the Subaru SUVs up the mountain each day. It’s really clear to us why the Subaru Forester was named the New Zealand Car of the Year, with its EyeSight technology, great handling and powerful engine – it’s truly the best vehicle fit for the mountain conditions,” she adds.
Subaru’s across-the-range All-Wheel Drive (AWD) technology means they are the perfect vehicles for the conditions the RAL team face - delivering them safely to their mountain-based offices on a daily basis.
Turoa will also once again host the ever-popular Subaru Top Weekend. Drivers of any Subaru model be sure to mark the August 17 and 18 weekend in your calendars.
Subaru of New Zealand’s Marketing Manager Daile Stephens says the brand looks forward to Top Weekend every year.
“The Subaru Top Weekend is an annual event which has taken place since the early 2000s, where the first 200 Subaru drivers receive hot beverages and giveaways from our team on arrival.
“Make sure you check out our Subaru Facebook page for updates as we get closer to Top Weekend,” Mrs Stephens says.
This season, Turoa opens on June 29, with a week-long schedule of 40th anniversary commemoration events being held in October. RAL has created some special hashtags so you can join in the celebrations - #WeAreTuroa and #turoaturns40.”
The all-new Sky Waka – a highspeed sightseeing gondola is on track to be unveiled at the same time as Whakapapa’s upper mountain opens for skiing in late June.
The 50 Sky Waka gondola cabins will feature floor to ceiling glass for breath-taking views, internal ski racks, audio and lighting and individual leather seats offering business-class luxury to passengers befitting of the UNESCO Dual World Heritage status of Whakapapa Ski Area.
Each cabin accommodates 10 passengers and even the tallest skiers will be able to stand upright in the cabin with more than 2m of internal clearance.
The Sky Waka will run from the top of the Bruce base area directly to the award-winning Knoll Ridge Café. It will transport 2,400 people per hour over the 1.8km in approximately 5 minutes.
