Huge queues at Mt Ruapehu for the first official day of Spring

Car parks have hit capacity and snowbirds have faced huge queues at chairlifts, with waiting times in excess of half an hour to get up the mountain on Turoa's Movenpick chairlift.

With the upper mountain inaccessible as the High Noon Express chair is closed due to avalanche concerns, skiers experienced congestion on the lower slopes.

Meanwhile, the Bruce Road up to Whakapapa was closed as carparks became full.

Ruapehu has been hit by multiple storms and blizzards over the last few months.