Fresh snow which has landed on Mount Ruapehu has allowed the Whakapapa Skifield  to open for an extended season. 

Crowds of up to a thousand packed the slopes at the weekend to ski, snowboard and check out the scenery. 

The Marketing Manager for Mount Ruapehu, Mike Smith, says it's not the first time the ski field has opened in summer, the last occasion coming two years ago. 

With a base of 160 centimetres, Mr Smith hopes the ski season will stretch to at least the seventh of January.