Mount Cook Flights for Families

For a family with young children, book a 25-minute flight with a landing. The 25-Minute Alpine Vista Helicopter Flight from The Helicopter Line costs from $220 per person and is rated 4.8 from 9 reviews; INFLITE’s Scenic Helicopter Flight with Alpine Landing is the same length from $217 per person, rated 4.7 from 517 reviews. Either gives children the take-off, the mountains and time on their feet at a landing site, without asking them to sit still for most of an hour. Older children who want the most reliable snow landing or a walk on the ice have better options, covered below.

The shortest flights for young children

Both 25-minute flights include the landing in their time, so the flying itself is around 20 minutes. They differ mainly in where they leave from and where they land.

The Alpine Vista rises over Lake Pukaki and the Mackenzie high country before landing in the Ben Ohau Range. It suits families staying at Glentanner or driving up from Twizel, since the base is about 20 km south of the village. The Helicopter Line suggests allowing about an hour in total, including check-in and the safety briefing. Our Alpine Vista breakdown has the detail.

INFLITE’s 25-minute flight leaves from the airport a few minutes from the village and heads up the Tasman Valley over the glacier lake. It has the far larger review record of the two. See our breakdown of that flight.

If your children have their hearts set on snow and you are travelling in summer, the 45-minute ski plane and helicopter combo lands on the Tasman Glacier, which INFLITE offers as its year-round snow landing. Both short flights land on sites where snow depends on the season.

Babies and toddlers: lap or own seat

Each operator has its own rule, and they are not the same:

• INFLITE says its flights suit all ages. Infants can sit on a caregiver’s lap, but a seat is still allocated and charged under Civil Aviation Authority requirements. Ear protection and child lap belts are provided.
• The Helicopter Line says infants under 15 kg sit on an adult’s knee, and infants over 15 kg need their own seat. Children must be with a paying adult.
• Southern Lakes Helicopters, which runs the Tasman Glacier & National Park Scenic Flight from the airport, says children under four travel free on a parent’s lap and those four and over need a seat. Policies like this can change, so confirm it when you book.

On any of them, tell the operator about a lap infant when you give passenger details, because infants count in the aircraft’s weight and balance.

What children pay

GetYourGuide prices are per person. Some operators publish separate child rates in NZD; these are INFLITE’s own rates at the time of writing, for children aged 0 to 12:

The Helicopter Line quotes per-person prices only and does not publish a child rate. Our prices guide sets out the adult prices for every flight.

Older children: the heli-hike from age 9

From nine, children can do the 3-Hour Tasman Glacier Helicopter Ride and Hike with Mt Cook Glacier Guiding, from $569 per person and rated 4.9 from 329 reviews. It takes about three hours, with up to two hours walking on the ice behind a guide who cuts steps. Boots, socks, crampons, a walking pole and a waterproof jacket are supplied. The operator rates the fitness level low to moderate. Expect slow walking in crampons on uneven ice with the guide setting the pace, and children aged 9 to 16 must be with an adult.

The Helicopter Line sells a separate 3 Hour Heli Hike to the Tasman Glacier with a different guiding company, and its own page lists a minimum age of 10. Check the age on whichever one you book. Our Tasman Glacier flights guide compares the two.

Weight and seating

Every operator here needs passenger weights before the flight, because helicopters and ski planes are loaded by weight and balance. INFLITE’s general limit is 116 kg per person and passengers may be weighed at check-in. The Helicopter Line’s helicopters carry up to six passengers or 480 kg combined.

INFLITE says seats cannot be selected in advance and are assigned on the day by weight, and Southern Lakes pilots also seat passengers by weight and balance. You can ask to sit with your child, but no operator promises a particular seat.

Ears, motion sickness and cold

INFLITE hands out ear protection for children. Helicopters are loud, so put it on before the engine starts, and have a drink or something to chew for the climb and descent.

Motion sickness comes up now and then in passenger reviews of these flights. A short flight is the gentler way to find out how your child copes. Give them a light meal beforehand, and ask a pharmacist about a travel-sickness remedy suitable for their age if they get carsick.

Landing sites are colder than the base, even in summer, and the snow reflects a lot of light. Dress children in warm layers, long trousers, a hat and gloves, with sturdy closed-toe shoes that grip on snow, and bring child-sized sunglasses. Bags are not allowed on INFLITE flights, so pockets matter.

When to book

Book a flight early in your stay, and an early departure on that day if you can. Mountain weather changes fast at any time of year, and the operators themselves recommend booking early in your trip so there is time to rebook. Keep a second day free as a buffer: GetYourGuide bookings can be cancelled for free up to 24 hours before, so if the forecast looks poor you can cancel or move the booking in time.

If the flight is grounded, the Tasman Glacier View Track is a family-sized walk: 30 minutes return, with more than 300 steps up to a view of Tasman Lake and a side trip to the Blue Lakes.

For more on flight length, see our 25 vs 40 vs 55 minute guide, or compare every flight on the homepage table. When you have picked a day, check availability for the Alpine Vista.