Turoa is the reason Ohakune fills with ski jackets in winter. The road climbs from town onto the south-western slopes of Mount Ruapehu, ending in a wide, treeless ski area of volcanic bowls, cliffs, and long views across the central North Island.
The mountain is worth the drive even if you are not skiing, when access and weather allow. The landscape changes quickly from farmland and forest to raw alpine rock, and the scale of Ruapehu is much easier to feel from here than from the highway.