Mt Ruapehu skifields are celebrating the best snow conditions in years and the weather seems to be joining the party.
Turoa skifield, which has a 222cm snow base, is staying open two weeks longer until November 4 and Whakapapa is staying open until October 22.
More than 10,000 people were on the two fields on Saturday, which was amazing for the time of the year, spokeswoman Annah Dowsett told NZ Newswire.
"Spring conditions are fantastic and the weather is awesome," Ms Dowsett said.
Whakapapa, which has a 209cm base, has so much snow the measurement stakes on the upper mountain are buried.
A southerly blast 10 days ago delivered around half a metre of snow to the mountain in the central North Island, boosting spring skiing that normally winds down in October.
The mountain forecast for the next five days shows mostly settled weather.
Turoa has extended its season for the last four years. Both fields are open for the school holidays from next week.
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