About the Club
The club sleeps 32 in comfortable, family-sized bunkrooms. There are six bunk rooms upstairs (through a swing door to cut down noise), two with six bunks and the rest with four. There is another four-bed bunkroom downstairs.
Also downstairs is the games room, featuring a table tennis table, foosball and a pool table. Opposite is a large drying room, a locker area, ski and board tuning facilities and workbench, a toilet and a vestibule with more lockers.
While those with energy to burn are playing downstairs, the dining area, kitchen and lounge upstairs provide space to relax. Along the landing are men's and women's bathrooms, with two showers and two toilets in each. The pine-panelled interior, the clean and modern bathrooms and the comfortable lounge reflects the club's focus on uncomplicated comfort.
History
In the mid-1960s, a group of forward-thinking old school mates hit on the idea of building a ski and mountain pursuits club in the new village at Whakapapa, Mt Ruapehu. They inspired other families to share their dream. They raised funds and built Te Horonuku Mountain Sports Club, literally with their own blood, sweat and tears. This was long before helicopter service drops, so the members had to carry all the materials and interior furnishings up the mountainside to see their dream fulfilled.
Throughout its history, the club's primary focus has been on encouraging young families to enjoy mountain sports with the result that the club's current 250-strong membership is drawn from across the North Island.
Why Te Horonuku?
Maori names were popular amongst the new mountain clubs (most were built within an eight year period) as their committees wanted to pay respects to the history of the land.
Tongariro National Park was created in 1887 after Chief Te Heu Heu IV persuaded Maori to give the mountains Tongariro, Ngarauhoe and part of Ruapehu to the Crown rather than have them split up among several owners. On becoming chief in 1863, he took the name Horonuku.