The Tongariro National Park Plan and Bylaws prohibit mountain bikes off of formed and maintained roads.
There are no formed or maintained roads on Whakapapa. Given the bylaws are in place to protect the fragile environment and cultural significance of the UNESCO Dual World Heritage Tongariro National Park, it’s not anticipated that would ever change.
Aside from that, mountain biking over volcanic rock, scoria, and solidified lava, of which our unique terrain is built, would present all sorts of safety issues. We would have to modify this terrain significantly to mitigate these issues which would again come up against the Park protections above. Never mind the significant cost! With that, plenty of analysis, and our connection with competitors in this category, we could not justify the investment required for paid downhill mountain biking on Whakapapa.
Other ski areas operate under very different conditions, most notably outside of a protected park and with far more suitable terrain. It is a great idea of course, just not at all practical for us. Fortunately, the Sky Waka gondola brings us in year round revenue, and our walking trails are an epic way to explore the unique terrain.