Mt Ruapehu announced over the weekend that the mountain will be closed for the remainder of the summer season, following the new alert levels for COVID-19 by the New Zealand government.
As the country is on Alert Level 2, people has been asked to cut non-essential domestic travel.
In a statement released on Sunday, Ruapehu Alpine Lifts chief executive officer Jono Dean says Mt Ruapehu visitors make the decision to visit, rather than it being a choice of convenience.
"Our tourism operation is located in a relatively remote part of the country, with no large population base of visitors close by. This means our visitors make a conscious decision to get in a vehicle or fly to come and see us.
"It’s our desire to see New Zealand limit the spread of COVID-19 as quickly as possible and as a result of this new Alert Level 2, we have made the decision to close the 2019/2020 summer season of our Sky Waka operations effective Monday, March 23, 2020.
"This also includes our Ohakune and Taupo retail outlets. Our team will be in touch with anyone who has purchased a ticket, or made a reservation for lunch or dinner for the future, to make other arrangements," says Jono.
"As you will appreciate, this will affect a significant number of people and is a challenging time for the tourism industry and entire country. We ask that you respect our team by showing kindness and patience as we work through this.
"This is a rapidly evolving situation and an unprecedented time in our company’s, and New Zealand’s history. We will continue to update you with any changes or developments via our social media platforms and website," he says.
"We thank everyone who visited us over the summer to date, and given such great feedback about your experiences with us – it’s been a fabulous first summer with the Sky Waka in operation.
"For our winter guests, rest assured we will continue our planning and preparation for winter, and as soon as the situation becomes clearer, we will update you."
