AUSTRALIA VS NEW ZEALAND SKI FIELDS
Australia vs New Zealand ski fields - Luxury Travel Magazine
| By Vanessa Zhang and Antonia Maiolo |
| Date: 15 July 2011 |
| Australian or New Zealand, apples for apples |
| The Australian slopes are more expensive than those in New Zealand, and the strong Australian dollar this season has dramatically increased the price difference for Australian skiers. To help you decide, we’ve done some apples for apples price comparisons for costs on the slopes along with travel time comparisons but first, why are the Australian slopes so expensive? |
| Suzie Diver, a spokesperson from Thredbo, said higher wages, expensive electricity and the fact that the snow season in Australia is often only 16 weeks long means resorts have less time to make their money. Unlike American and European snow resorts, almost all of the equipment needed to manage ski fields needs to be imported from overseas and then delivered to remote snowfields in NSW. Australian snowfields rely heavily on snow making machines due to the lack of natural snowfall, which are costly to maintain and operate. All visitors also have to pay a government fee on top of their lift passes in Australia to enter all resorts. So how do Australian and New Zealand ski fields compare in dollar terms over a five-day break? We’ve selected similar priced, ski in, ski out accommodation so that the comparison is apples for apples. |
| WHERE TO STAY Australia KOSCIUSZKO CHALET HOTEL |
| Charlotte Pass Ski Resort, Charlotte Pass NSW Ski in, ski out. The surrounding terrain makes it a great choice for beginners or children learning to ski. The hotel offers three levels of lodging: the Classic Room, Superior Room and the Tower Suite. The Kosciuszko Chalet Restaurant is well known in the mountains for its quality regional a la carte cuisine and extensive wine selection. It’s open for all meals and there’s an early children’s dinner setting that allows adults to enjoy a languid, gourmet dinner each evening. For a more casual setting, there’s the Cellar Bar and the Charlotte Adams Cocktail Bar, which features a log fire and lounges. |
| Rates: five night packages start at A$1,640 per person in a Classic Room. The rate includes accommodation, breakfast, dinner, lift tickets and oversnow transport. |
| charlottepass.com.au/chalet.html |
| New Zealand SNOW PARK LUXURY APARTMENTS |
| Snow Park NZ, Wanaka Ski in, Ski out. Each apartment, which can sleep up to 10 people, is spacious and airy, with large living areas and fireplaces. There are four bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms with either queen or twin size beds. Keen entertainers will be pleased to find that the apartments have large outdoor decks. While there are fully equipped kitchens, there’s also an a la carte menu available in the neighbouring Wool Shed Restaurant and Café. |
| Rates: five night packages start at NZ$1,900 (about A$1,494) per person in an Apartment Queen with access to living area. |
| snowparknz.com/accommodation/apartments |
| A DAY ON THE SLOPES Australia Versus New Zealand Australia Charlotte Pass |
| A full day pass for Charlotte Pass Ski Resort is $93 for adults and $56 for children. For recreational ski gear hire that includes skis, stocks and boots it is $73 for adults and $52 for children. Charlotte Pass also offers group ski lessons for all levels of skier and snowboarder. For a one and a half hour lesson it is $65 per adult and $60 per child. One hour private lessons start from $140 per person. |
| New Zealand Snow Park NZ |
| Full day (9am-4pm) passes at Snow Park NZ for adults are $84 and for children, $39. Full day pass plus rental gear is $119 for an adult and $71 for children. For a two-hour lesson it is $42 for an adult and the same price for children. There is also a package called Learn to Ski that includes lift pass, gear hire and a two-hour lesson that is $105 for adults and $75 for children. To get to and from the snow slopes there’s a shuttle service that operates once a day from the snow park and is $35 return for adults and $28 return for children. |
| Result |
| The cashed-up Australian skier will find that New Zealand is cheaper for day passes, gear hire and ski lessons and over a five-day ski holiday, it adds up. But what about the time and cost involved in travelling to New Zealand. Australian ski fields are within six hours driving distance from major cities while some NZ ski fields can be up to another four hours drive from the closest New Zealand airport, which is after a three hour flight plus the waiting time at the airport. But here we’re looking at Snow Park NZ. |
| GETTING THERE Australia versus New Zealand Australia |
| The Australian ski fields are all within six hours-drive from Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne (depending on snow conditions) with ample parking at the major ski fields in Perisher, Thredbo and Mt. Buller. You already know how long it will take you to drive to your Australian ski destination. |
| mtbuller.com.au |
| perisher.com.au |
| thredbo.com.au |
| New Zealand |
| New Zealand ski fields are between 25 minutes and four hours-drive from major cities with the closet ski field, Coronet Peak Ski Field, 25 minutes from Queenstown. The accommodation used in our comparison above is at Snow Park, which is 50 minutes-drive from Queenstown airport. Air New Zealand flies from Sydney and Melbourne to Queenstown direct daily. Fares start at A$569 economy return and business class fares on select days start at A$2,300 return. Car hire services are available at Queenstown airport starting from NZ$322 (about A$252) for five days including taxes and fees from Budget. |
| ski-newzealand.co.nz queenstownairport.co.nz |
| Result |
| So, add to the time it takes you to get to the international airport in your city to the one and a half hour waiting time at the airport, the three or so hour flight to Queenstown, then the disembark plus the 50 minute-drive to the accommodation. You might find it’s quicker to get to your NZ ski field than it is to your closest Australian ski field. But when you add up your savings on the NZ slopes, they might be less than your flight and car hire costs combined. We’d recommend you check the ski conditions to make your decision! |