Where is Mt Dobson?

Mt Dobson ski area is located in the McKenzie region of the South Island of New Zealand, 184km southwest of Christchurch, and 143km southwest of Methven. The town of Fairlie is a 29km drive away from Mt Dobson (about 40 minutes), and the village of Lake Tekapo is 44km away.

Other Ski Areas Nearby

Fox Peak, Roundhill, Ohau

Getting To Mt Dobson

Driving is the most convenient way to get to Mt Dobson. From Fairlie drive west on highway 8 towards Tekapo. The turn-off to Mt Dobson is 14km from Fairlie on the right. From Tekapo, it’s a 29km drive east to the Mt Dobson turn-off.

The 15km drive up the mountain takes about 25 minutes. The road is gravel and bumpy. It’s sometimes muddy, sometimes snow covered and it also has the occasional land mine left by the cows! The drive can be a bit scary but relative to some of the harrowing NZ ski field roads, the drive is a breeze.

Chains are sometimes required (especially for 2WD cars), and if you haven’t pre-organised these with the car hire, they can be rented from the service station in Tekapo.

Shuttle transport is available to get from Fairlie to Mt Dobson. It only operates on some weekends and holidays, and it’s a bit of a hit and miss affair. The shuttle leaves at 9am from Binney’s Tearooms.
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Bus Services to Fairlie and Tekapo

Atomic Shuttles offer a daily bus service to Fairlie and Tekapo from Christchurch Airport, Christchurch, Wanaka or Queenstown.

Car Parking

There are two levels of car parking at Mt Dobson, but either way you’re only a stone’s throw away from the ticket office. It’s not like some of the big commercial NZ ski resorts where you have to catch a shuttle or lug your gear for a kilometre up the mountain.

Mt Dobson has the claim to fame as having the highest ski field car park in New Zealand.