The Bruce Road is only 13 km long and climbs up to the Whakapapa skifield through fields of volcanic scoria, rock and lava formations on Mount Ruapheu on the North Island of Aotearoa / New Zealand. The road offers incredible views of Mount Ruapheu and nearby Mount Ngauruhoe and Mount Tongariro as well as Mount Taranaki which is 150 km away on the west coast of the North Island. All of these mountains are active or dormant volcanoes.
Ruapehu rises up from the already elevated volcanic Central Plateau of the North Island of New Zealand. Almost anywhere on the mountain the views are expansive and distant and Golden Hour never disappoints.
This is a mountain I know well dating back to my first visit as a child in the late 60’s and many many visits as well as working in the ski industry in the 80’s. “The Mountain” always feels like home. In early November 2019 I spent a couple of evenings photographing the views along this iconic mountain road.
