The Mount Cook area is one of the best places in New Zealand to take a scenic flight. So what can you expect when you’re being taken for that exhilarating ride in a helicopter with Heliworks Mount Cook? Whether it’s glacier landings or expert commentary, there’s quite a lot you can expect from a flight.

Of course, you’ll fly over countless snowy peaks and have unparalleled views of the highest mountain in New Zealand, Aoraki/Mount Cook. With your bird’s eye view you can appreciate just how much higher it is than the surrounding peaks – and why its Maori name means “cloud piercer”. You will also get views of the Fox and Franz Josef glaciers (on the Ultimate experience flight) and your helicopter will whisk you up the enormous valley leading to the Tasman Glacier.

Tasman Glacier landing

You will land on the upper reaches of the Tasman Glacier, New Zealand’s largest. You can disembark from the helicopter to admire this vast expanse of rock and ice – the glacier is truly massive (in some places 4km wide and 600m thick). Touching the snow is an amazing experience in itself – it’s a year-round winter wonderland, even when the ski fields have no snow at all (and no ski field compares to the size of the Tasman anyway).

Commentary

Expert commentary of the area will be provided by your pilot – he or she will be speaking to you inflight via your microphone-equipped headphones. The conversation will be casual, and you can expect to learn about the way the glacier thaws, the history of the area, various points of interest – feel free to ask your own questions through the microphone, our pilots are very friendly!

Safety briefing

Expect a comprehensive safety briefing before you depart. Safety is of course our biggest priority, with strict adherence to the safety standards set by the Civil Aviation.

Experiences

Finally you can expect to have an amazing experience whether you choose from our 35, 45, or 55 min flights – all flights follow a similar circle and fly over the Tasman glacier, but the longer flights extend further, and the 55min flight will take you the entire length of the Tasman Glacier.

Armed with this information on what to expect, you can now expect to have your expectations exceeded when you’re actually in the air with us at Heliworks Mount Cook – whopping along on chopper above one of the most beautiful and impressive alpine areas in the world, no words can quite describe the feeling: you’ve got to just experience it for yourself.