Skiers turned away as Ruapehu, Treble Cone fill up under level 2 caps

Whakapapa was full even before Auckland joined the
rest of the country at level 2. Photo / Real Snow Reports, Facebook

Skiers heading to New Zealand's snowfields have been left out in the cold after level 2 measures saw hundreds turned away from mountains.

By 9am this morning visitors to Mt Hutt snowfield reported bumper-to-bumper queues stretching 5km down the mountain and - in the North Island - visitors to Ruapehu have experienced similar chaos with bus-loads of skiers being turned away over the weekend.

Skiers across the South Island reported a rush to the mountains following snow dumps of around half a metre at Mt Hutt, Coronet Peak and Craigieburn yesterday. The rush on the mountain and level 2 restrictions led to a pile-up of would-be skiers heading to the slopes.

By Thomas Bywater.

Full story at NZ Herald.