Ohakune TOP 10 Holiday Park

Recognised twice running with the TOP 10 Supreme Award, a first among the chain's New Zealand parks, this stream-side property has built its name on year-round trade rather than a single ski season. It sits a few minutes' walk from central Ohakune. A footbridge crosses the Mangateitei Stream at the back of the grounds, leading through native bush straight into town, where cafes, restaurants and the main supermarket sit two minutes off. Rooms range widely: two-bedroom self-contained units, studio and ensuite units, motel rooms, and a run of cabins from family-sized down to bunk and cosy configurations sleeping as few as three. Powered and non-powered sites line the stream too, though vans and caravans need to come without an awning. On site, guests share a communal kitchen, laundry, drying room for ski gear, and a BBQ area, alongside a playground, games room and a Sky TV lounge. A spa pool, added recently, has become something of a fixture for cooling off after a soak. Dogs are welcome on camping sites, capped at two per pitch, with blackout dates over peak weekends. Winters bring snow visible from the cabins; summers bring hiking, mountain biking and kayaking on the nearby Whanganui River. It is a working base for both seasons, not just one.