What a Mount Cook Helicopter Flight Is Like

What flying in a helicopter feels like

If you have only flown on airliners, the first surprise is that nothing rolls down a runway. The pilot runs through the departure checks, the helicopter goes light on its skids and the ground drops away. That straight-up movement feels strange for a few seconds, because your body expects an aircraft to move forward before it climbs.

Then the scenery takes over. A helicopter can fly much closer to mountain terrain than a plane, and slowly enough to follow a valley or turn towards an icefall. The feeling is more like drifting through the landscape than racing over it. You notice the vibration and the rotor noise most at take-off and landing; once you are up, your attention goes straight out of the window.

How fast the scale changes

From the road, the Southern Alps are a wall. From the air, the wall opens. Valleys that looked closed reveal glaciers behind them, ridges that towered over the road become foreground, and the braided rivers and blue lakes start to read as parts of one landscape. Depending on the route, you can see:

• Aoraki/Mount Cook and the peaks of the Southern Alps
• Haupapa/Tasman Glacier and Tasman Lake at its foot
• the Hochstetter Icefall
• the Grand Plateau and the high snowfields
• the Ben Ohau Range, on flights from Glentanner
• moraine walls and glacial valleys
• the West Coast glaciers, on the longest flights

The route matters as much as the minutes. The Helicopter Line’s Aoraki & The Glaciers 55-Minute Flight follows the Tasman Glacier and then crosses the Southern Alps to the Franz Josef and Fox glaciers, which is a different trip from a 25-minute introduction. Our scenic flight routes guide maps what each length covers.

Before you board

You do not walk up two minutes before take-off. Expect a short version of airport check-in:

1. Arrive at the operator’s base and confirm your booking.
2. Give or confirm everyone’s weight.
3. The crew assigns seats.
4. You get a safety briefing.
5. Bags and loose items stay behind.
6. A crew member walks you out to the helicopter and boards you in order.

The Helicopter Line closes check-in 30 minutes before departure and asks you to allow about an hour for check-in, the briefing and a short flight. INFLITE closes check-in 45 minutes before, and the check-in time on its booking email is earlier than the flight time. Plan your drive around the check-in time, not the take-off.

Where the flights leave from

The operators do not share a base.

• Aoraki/Mount Cook Airport, on State Highway 80 a few minutes’ drive from the village. INFLITE flies from here, and there is parking. It does not include transport from Twizel or Lake Tekapo: allow an hour from Twizel and an hour and a half from Tekapo.
• Glentanner Park, further south on State Highway 80. The Helicopter Line flies from its base here and can provide transport from Mount Cook Village.

INFLITE warns that people looking for it sometimes stop at Glentanner by mistake; its airport is about 15 minutes further on towards the village. Open the address in your confirmation the night before and put that into your map.

Why they ask for your weight

It has nothing to do with appearance. A helicopter’s total load and where that load sits decide how it flies, so the operator needs accurate weights to work out where everyone sits, in line with Civil Aviation Authority requirements. That is why you may be asked for your weight when you book, weighed again at check-in and moved between seats, and why booking first does not get you the front.

INFLITE sets a general limit of 116 kg per passenger. The Helicopter Line takes up to six passengers or 480 kg combined per helicopter. Limits vary by aircraft and operator, so if you are close to one, contact the operator before you book. Our prices page lists each operator’s limits.

Can I choose the front seat?

Assume not. INFLITE says plainly that seats cannot be chosen or guaranteed in advance, because the crew assigns them on the day by weight. You may get the front, a rear window or a middle seat. None of those spoils the flight: scenic helicopters are designed for visibility, and the landscape is big enough to fill every window. And never shave a few kilos off your weight to try for a better seat. It is safety information, not a seating preference.

How many people fly together

INFLITE’s helicopters seat five to seven, depending on weight, and The Helicopter Line’s take up to six. That is far more intimate than a sightseeing plane, but unless you pay for a private flight you will share the cabin with other travellers.

The safety briefing

It is short, and it matters. The crew explains how to approach and leave the helicopter, where to stand, how your seat belt works, where the emergency equipment is, what happens at the landing site and what you can carry in the cabin. Rotors are turning, landing sites can be steep and cabins are tight, so loading is tightly controlled. The one rule for the whole trip: do exactly what the pilot or the crew tells you, especially near the aircraft.

Take-off

This is the moment nervous first-timers dread, and it is over in seconds. The rotor noise rises, the helicopter goes light and the ground moves away. You may feel a flutter in your stomach, like a lift starting, but there is no runway sprint. Within a minute you are heading into the mountains, and most people who were tense on the ground relax as soon as the view appears.

Is it bumpy?

It can be smooth, a little lively or occasionally bumpy, depending on the wind. Mountains make complicated air, and DOC warns that strong winds, snow and fast changes in temperature and weather can happen in the park at any time of year. That does not mean flights go in unsafe conditions. It means the pilot keeps judging whether the aircraft, the route and the landing site are right for the day, and if the answer is no, the flight does not go. That call is what you are paying a mountain pilot for.

Motion sickness

Some people feel queasy, and many are fine. You are more likely to if you get carsick or seasick, look at your phone while travelling, fly on an empty stomach or feel sick when anxious. Eat a normal light meal beforehand, go easy on alcohol the night before, keep your eyes on the horizon, and do not spend the flight scrolling through your photos. Tell the crew if you are prone to it. If you take motion-sickness tablets, follow the instructions, as some cause drowsiness.

Headsets and commentary

The cabin is noisy, so you usually wear a headset or ear protection. The Helicopter Line’s flights include pilot commentary, which you hear through the headset as you fly. Do not expect to chat as you would in a car: between the rotor, the commentary and everyone staring out of the window, the mountain does most of the talking.

The landing, the part people remember

The helicopter slows as the pilot approaches the site. What looked like a smooth white slope from a distance turns into ridges of snow, rock, ice and wind-carved surfaces, and then the skids settle. Depending on your flight, you land:

• at an alpine site, a mountain landing where snow depends on the season. The Helicopter Line says snow on its 25-minute Alpine Vista landing depends on the season, and INFLITE’s 25-minute alpine landing flight can find its sites short of snow in the warmer months.
• in the snow, as on The Helicopter Line’s 40-minute Mountains High flight, subject to snow levels.
• on a glacier, as on INFLITE’s ski plane and helicopter combo and its Glacier Highlights flights, which land on the upper Tasman Glacier. The exact site still depends on the weather and the glacier on the day.

If the picture in your head is you getting out of a helicopter onto a glacier, do not book a listing just because it says “landing included”. Look for the words glacier landing. Our snow landing guide shows which flights land where, month by month.

How long you spend on the snow

Long enough to look around and take your photos, but it is not a walk. Expect about 10 minutes on The Helicopter Line’s short alpine landings, and 10 to 15 minutes on INFLITE’s glacier landings. In that time you can step away from the aircraft where the pilot shows you, take in the view, photograph your companions, stand quietly for a moment and take in how big the mountains really are. Then everyone climbs back in.

Can you walk around?

A little, and only where the pilot says. A glacier is moving ice with cracks and crevasses, and alpine sites can be steep or slippery, so stay inside the area you are shown. For a normal scenic landing you do not need crampons, mountaineering gear or glacier experience: the pilot picks a site made for ordinary passengers. If you want to walk on the ice for real, that is a heli-hike, such as Mt Cook Glacier Guiding’s 3-hour Tasman Glacier ride and hike, a different trip altogether. Our Tasman Glacier guide compares them.

Does the engine stop?

It depends on the operator, the aircraft and the site, so do not assume a helicopter landing means silence. If the quiet of the mountains matters to you, ask before you book. INFLITE’s ski planes shut down on the glacier, which is one reason the combo appeals: you get the helicopter in one direction and a ski plane landing in the silence in the other.

What to wear

You do not need mountaineering clothes, but you do need sensible ones. INFLITE recommends warm layers, long trousers, a sweater or jacket, sunglasses and sturdy closed shoes. The Helicopter Line asks for a warm jacket, sturdy shoes, sunglasses and sunscreen. For most people that means:

closed shoes, trousers, a T-shirt, a warm layer, a light jacket and sunglasses.

Add more insulation in winter. In summer, do not be fooled by a warm afternoon at the airfield: you may be standing in snow a few minutes later, and the glare off it is strong.

Shoes

Wear something that stays on your feet and grips. Trainers, walking shoes, hiking shoes and light boots are all fine. Heels, loose sandals, flip-flops and smooth-soled shoes are not. You walk only a few steps, but they can be on uneven snow.

What to bring

Very little. Bring your phone or camera, sunglasses, a jacket or warm layer, any medication you need and your booking details. Cabin space is tight: The Helicopter Line does not allow bags, selfie sticks or iPads on board, asks you to leave loose clothing and scarves behind, and wants large cameras on a strap. INFLITE bans selfie sticks and drones.

Drones

Leave it at home. DOC does not allow recreational drones anywhere in Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, and INFLITE does not allow them on board. You are already in the aerial viewpoint a drone would be chasing.

Taking photos

The hard part is deciding where to look, not using the camera. A new glacier, ridge or ice wall appears every few seconds.

• On a phone, use the normal lens for most of it and the wide lens when the mountains fill the window. Film in short clips, and use burst mode if your phone has it. Avoid digital zoom.
• On a camera, a standard or wide zoom is more use than a long telephoto, and you will not want to change lenses in a moving cabin.

Then put it down. Take the picture and look outside: the photo will keep, the flight will not.

How long your first flight should be

The Helicopter Line’s Mount Cook flights run from the 25-minute Alpine Vista to the 55-minute Aoraki & The Glaciers. If you have come a long way to see Aoraki and the difference is affordable, lean towards a middle or longer flight: the scenery gets more interesting as the route grows, not more repetitive. Our 25 vs 40 vs 55-minute guide compares them minute by minute.

If you are afraid of heights

A helicopter often feels different from a cliff edge or a viewing platform. Fear of heights is usually about an open drop at your feet; in a helicopter you are enclosed, strapped into a seat and looking through glass. Not everyone will be comfortable, but disliking balconies does not mean you will hate the flight. Tell the ground crew, skip the extra coffee, look at the distant mountains, not straight down, and keep your eyes outside. The first minute is the strangest.

Children

Children are welcome. INFLITE says its scenic flights suit all ages and provides ear protection and child lap belts. Rules for infants differ between operators, especially on seats and fares, so check before you book, and think about the child as well as the minimum age: a toddler who hates loud noise and earmuffs may enjoy it less than you do. Our families guide covers ages and seats.

When the weather turns

A confirmed booking does not mean the helicopter will fly. The park sits in serious alpine country where the weather changes fast, and INFLITE makes its final call on the day, anywhere from early morning to about 10 minutes before departure. The Helicopter Line asks you to reconfirm the day before and call an hour before departure for a final weather check, and says routes and landing sites can change with the weather and the pilot’s judgement. Blue sky over breakfast tells you little about the wind and cloud around a glacier a few thousand feet higher.

If the operator cancels for weather, INFLITE rebooks you or refunds you in full, and so does The Helicopter Line. Cancelling yourself is different: INFLITE charges the full price inside 48 hours, The Helicopter Line gives no refund for changes inside 24 hours, and every GetYourGuide listing on this site has free cancellation up to 24 hours before.

Fly early in your stay

This is the most useful advice on the page. Do not put your flight in the last hour of your visit. Book it for your first good day, so a cancellation still leaves you the afternoon, the next morning or another day to try again. Both INFLITE and The Helicopter Line recommend it. A 9am flight on the morning you drive to Queenstown gives the mountain one chance.

Morning or afternoon?

No hour guarantees good conditions. A morning can be calm and crisp, an afternoon can clear after cloud, and on any given day either can be the worse of the two. Pick the time that fits your plans and leave room around it to rebook.

Do you need blue sky?

No. Some cloud makes the mountains look more dramatic and gives your photos depth. What matters is whether the pilot has enough visibility to fly the route safely and use a landing site. A sky that looks dull from your hotel can still give a superb flight, and blue sky overhead tells you nothing about the weather deeper in the Alps. Leave that call to the operator.

The route can change

A scenic flight is not a train on rails. Wind, cloud, visibility and snow can change the direction you fly, the landing site, which glaciers you see and, now and then, whether the planned landing happens. The Helicopter Line and INFLITE both say so. Treat the itinerary as the plan for the day.

The biggest surprise: the scale

For most people it is not the helicopter. From the road you see mountains. From the air you see how they were made: glaciers flowing down valleys, moraine walls marking where the ice once reached, lakes sitting below retreating ice, hanging glaciers clinging to the faces. The helicopter makes a landscape that big readable.

The flight or the landing?

The flight gives you more to look at; the landing is what you remember. In the air the view never stops changing. On the ground, the rotor slows, you step onto snow, and you are standing inside the landscape you were looking up at an hour before. The two together are why the trip works.

Worth it if you have seen the glaciers from the ground?

Yes, because the views are completely different. From the Tasman Glacier View track you look across the lake to the end of the glacier. From the air you can follow the glacier deep into the Alps and see it as one long river of ice, and you see country no road or short track reaches.

Helicopter or ski plane for a first flight?

Choose the helicopter for low, close mountain flying. Choose a ski plane for the novelty of taking off on wheels and landing on snow. If you cannot decide, INFLITE’s combo puts you in both, with a landing on the Tasman Glacier, and very few places offer that. Our ski plane vs helicopter guide compares them in full.

Your first-flight checklist

Before you leave your hotel, check:

• Have you confirmed which base you are flying from?
• Do you know your check-in time?
• Have you made any weather call the operator asked for?
• Are you wearing closed shoes?
• Do you have a warm layer and sunglasses?
• Is your phone or camera charged?
• Have you left bags and selfie sticks behind?
• Did you give accurate weights?
• Do you have room to rebook if the weather changes?

Then stop worrying. The pilot takes it from there.

Who it suits, and who might skip it

A helicopter flight makes particular sense if you have never flown in one, want to see glaciers without a hard hike, have little time at Mount Cook, love photography, want a snow or glacier landing, are marking a special occasion or simply want to understand how big the Southern Alps are. It is also one of the few big experiences at Mount Cook that needs no real fitness: you reach country mountaineers climb to by stepping into an aircraft.

You might spend the money elsewhere if scenic flying does not interest you, the budget is tight, you strongly dislike small aircraft, or a weather delay would wreck a tight itinerary. And if what you want is a long walk on the ice, book a heli-hike, not a scenic flight.

What we would book for a first flight

If this is likely to be your only helicopter flight at Mount Cook, do not choose on price alone. Look for three things: enough time in the air to see the landscape properly, the kind of landing you want, and a route that covers the glaciers you care about. For many first-timers that means 30 to 45 minutes with a real snow or glacier landing, which is why we point people to the combo first. A 25-minute flight makes sense if the ride itself is the goal or the budget is smaller. A 45 to 60-minute flight earns its price when Mount Cook is a highlight of your trip and you want the widest view of the Alps. Whichever you pick, read the landing line twice: “includes a landing” does not mean “lands on a glacier”.

Frequently asked questions

Is a Mount Cook helicopter flight scary?

Most first-timers find the waiting more nerve-racking than the flight. Lifting off without a runway feels unusual for a few seconds, and then it feels normal.

How long is a Mount Cook helicopter tour?

Scenic flights run from 25 minutes to about an hour, and the heli-hikes take about three hours. The listed flight time includes the landing.

Do all Mount Cook helicopter flights land on snow?

No. Some make alpine landings where snow depends on the season. If standing on snow matters, book a flight that says snow landing or glacier landing.

Is an alpine landing the same as a glacier landing?

No. An alpine landing is somewhere in the mountains. A glacier landing is on the glacier itself, at Mount Cook usually the upper Tasman Glacier.

How long do you get out of the helicopter?

About 10 minutes on a short alpine landing and 10 to 15 minutes on INFLITE’s glacier landings, depending on the flight and the day.

Can I choose a window seat?

No. The crew assigns seats on the day by weight, so the helicopter stays balanced.

Why do they need my weight?

The aircraft has to stay within its weight and balance limits, so the operator needs accurate weights and may weigh you at check-in.

What should I wear on a Mount Cook helicopter flight?

Closed shoes, long trousers, a warm layer or jacket and sunglasses. The landing site is colder than the base.

Can I take photos?

Yes. Phones and cameras are welcome, but large cameras need a strap, and selfie sticks are not allowed.

Can I bring a drone?

No. Recreational drones are not allowed anywhere in Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, and INFLITE does not allow them on board.

What happens if the weather is bad?

Flights can be delayed, rerouted or cancelled. If the operator cancels for weather, INFLITE and The Helicopter Line rebook you or refund you in full.

How far ahead should I book?

Popular times fill, so book ahead, and above all book for early in your stay so a weather cancellation leaves you another chance.

Will I definitely see Aoraki/Mount Cook?

No. Cloud can cover the summit at short notice. Pilots fly the route the day allows.

Is 20 minutes long enough?

It is enough to feel what helicopter flying is like and see big mountain scenery, especially with a landing. For more of the Tasman Glacier and the Southern Alps, 30 to 45 minutes gives you much more.

Ready to pick a date? Check availability for the combo flight above, or compare every flight on our best Mount Cook helicopter flights page.