100 Years in the making
Club Founded
Like many provincial clubs of the era, it was started by locals—often farmers and working people—who spent their weekends bushwhacking and forging tracks into the rugged northern Tararua Ranges. Over the decades, the club has been a cornerstone of the Horowhenua community, passing down generations of active memberships.
The First Waiopehu Hut
In late 1927, club members painstakingly carried building supplies—including heavy corrugated iron—up the steep Arapaepae Ridge to construct the first Waiopehu Hut. It was officially opened on March 4, 1928.
The Great Storm
On February 4, 1936, a violent hurricane-force storm decimated the northern Tararuas. The storm tragically claimed the life of an optician named Ralph Wood from a Palmerston North tramping party due to exposure. When surviving members of his group struggled through the bush to find safety at the Waiopehu Hut, they discovered it had completely disappeared—the ferocious winds had blown the entire structure roughly 300 feet down into the valley below.
Rebuilding
World War II delayed recovery efforts, but a second Waiopehu Hut was finally completed and opened in May 1947 in a more sheltered hollow off the ridge. This second hut stood for 55 years.
Early Tararua Skiing
Long before a lodge existed on Mt Ruapehu, the high tussock basins beyond Mount Waiopehu in the Tararuas actually served as the venue for the club’s initial annual ski and inter-club races.
Establishment on Mt Ruapehu
Recognizing the superior snow conditions on the volcanic plateau, club fathers showed incredible foresight in 1951 by purchasing a site on the Whakapapa ski field on Mt Ruapehu.
First Bunks Built
Over a grueling six-month period, club volunteers built the original ski lodge for the meager sum of £962, carrying building materials by hand up the mountain. Remarkably, it was only the second habitable building constructed on that side of the mountain.
Evolution
The lodge operated in true rugged fashion for its first ten years before electricity was finally connected to it. Over the generations, the facility has expanded significantly.
Major Expansion
The lodge was expanded to accommodate growing membership, adding a proper drying room and larger kitchen.
Ruapehu Erupts
Major volcanic eruptions forced the closure of the ski fields, but the lodge survived unscathed and served as a base for post-eruption cleanup.
Extension
To mark the club's 75th anniversary, the current 18-bunk double-glazed Waiopehu Hut was built slightly further up the ridge in cooperation with the Department of Conservation. Today, the concrete hearth of the 1928 hut remains a historical landmark along the track.
Modernization
Significant upgrades to insulation, heating, and communal spaces brought the lodge up to modern alpine standards.
The modern Ski Lodge
Today, the modern LWTC Ski Lodge stands just a 5-minute walk from the top overnight car park at Whakapapa, featuring 32 bunks, a custodian's room, and serving as a year-round family getaway home for its members.
A Thriving Community
LWTC continues to operate as a completely volunteer-run organization, maintaining 32 beds for adventurers.