All 78 people stranded on Mount Ruapehu are now safely off the mountain, after two days stuck in huts.

Photo: Supplied / Thomas Gibson

The group became stranded when heavy snow made an access road unusable.

Staff and students from Wellington High School were the first to leave, in four-wheel-drive vehicles, followed by a group from St Bernard's a catholic primary school, also in the capital.

Ski field manager Sue Graham said the operation went very smoothly.

"The road was really clear, it was much better than we anticipated, and what's normally the worst bit was probably the easiest part to get down, it was the bottom flat area that presented some challenges because there's still a lot of snow down on the Desert Road end."

Ms Graham said the students were now en route back to Wellington.