A good sized rest area at the southern end of the "Three Sisters" and generally known as "The Three Sisters Rest Area"
You will however not find any signage with that name anywhere, and nor is it an offical (gazetted) NZ place name. It is a name in common use to refer to the general area just a bit north of the half way point of the Desert Road between Waiouru and Turangi. This is a particularly winding section of road with many sharp bends. When the road was originally built there were three notable "S" shaped sections of the road that included descents/ascents into and out of stream gullies with tight corners at the bottom, these became known as the 'sisters'. The Makahikatoa stream 'sister' has since been bypassed (although her ghostly remains can still be seen on Google earth), which now just leaves two 'sisters', at the Mangatawi and Oturere stream crossings. The hint should make for a quick find, even in the snow.
Recommended to do this one travelling south to north where there is sufficient room to pull over to the left. Much care please if travelling north to south, be mindful of traffic behind you, opposing traffic descending the hill in front of you, cars exiting the rest area, and the conditions.
Punga and Paua