Our pick for most visitors, and which region fits which wish.
See which flights still have places on your dates
If you take one helicopter flight in New Zealand, make it a glacier flight with a snow landing. On the West Coast the Twin Glacier flights from Franz Josef or Fox show both glaciers in 30 to 35 minutes and land on the névé; at Aoraki/Mount Cook a 25 to 30-minute flight lands facing the country’s highest peak. Every listed flight can be cancelled free of charge up to 24 hours ahead, so book for your first free day and keep a second one open for the weather.
Twice the ice: Fox and Franz Josef in one 35-minute flight, landing on the glacier along the way to compare two very different ice formations.
Up the Tasman Valley and onto a mountain landing site looking directly at Aoraki/Mount Cook. Snow landings happen most of the year but cannot be guaranteed in summer.
Ninety minutes over New Zealand's most dramatic scenery (alpine lakes, rugged peaks, rainforest and the fiord itself) with two alpine landings on the way.
From the Fiordland Helicopters hangar at Te Anau Airport to Doubtful Sound, New Zealand's second-largest fiord, with one snow landing on the way. Minimum passenger numbers apply, and exact weights are required at booking.
Two questions: where you will be and what kind of trip you want. The answer comes from the flight times and landings in the listings.
Question 1 of 2
Question 2 of 2
No flight fits every answer, so here is the closest one.
A compact 20-minute trip over the ice falls, snowfields and crevasses of Franz Josef Glacier, with a snow landing to see the icy landscape up close.
A 25-minute flight above the ice pinnacles and crevasses of Franz Josef Glacier, continuing into the Southern Alps for a snow landing at altitude, flown by the family-run village operator.
Twenty-five minutes of flight time over the ice falls of Fox Glacier, with a snow landing to explore the glacial landscape up close.
Twice the ice: Fox and Franz Josef in one 35-minute flight, landing on the glacier along the way to compare two very different ice formations.
Three glaciers in one 40-minute flight (Franz Josef, Fox and the ice fields towards Mount Cook) with a snow landing amongst ancient ice.
Franz Josef, Fox and Tasman in a single 45-minute flight, with a snow landing high in the Southern Alps for sweeping photos of the mountain scenery.
Helicopter transfer onto Franz Josef Glacier and around two and a half hours exploring ice formations with an expert guide. Boots, crampons and rain gear are provided.
Helicopter transfer onto Fox Glacier and up to three hours among ice caves and arches with a guide. Flights take about four minutes each way.
Up the Tasman Valley and onto a mountain landing site looking directly at Aoraki/Mount Cook. Snow landings happen most of the year but cannot be guaranteed in summer.
From Glentanner into the Ben Ohau Range: 20 minutes of flight time and an alpine landing with the Southern Alps all around.
Over the Mackenzie Basin, Lake Tekapo and high-country sheep stations, with views to the Southern Alps and Aoraki/Mount Cook, and a landing at a private alpine spot (on snow in winter).
Over the Tasman Glacier and the Hochstetter Icefall, with a landing on the glacier itself and views across the national park.
The long Southern Lakes flight over Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, with a snow landing on the Tasman Glacier.
Fly in a ski plane AND a helicopter on the same trip, swapping aircraft at a glacier snow landing on the Tasman, the combination that guarantees snow landings all year round. Note: this is partly a fixed-wing flight.
Fly over New Zealand's highest mountain and land on the Tasman Glacier for a guided two-hour hike. Maximum 150 kg per person including equipment, age 10 and up.
Walking on New Zealand's biggest glacier combined with a scenic fly-by of Aoraki/Mount Cook, around 15 minutes of flying each way, up to two hours on the ice.
An eight-minute flight onto Glentanner Station's private high country, then a guided hike with exclusive access to the historic field hut. Home baking and hot drinks included.
A 25-minute experience over Queenstown with an alpine landing at a secluded spot only reachable by air. The pilot picks the best location on the day.
Land on the Remarkables spur at around 5,000 ft, overlooking Queenstown and the Wakatipu Basin with Coronet and Cecil Peaks in the distance.
The classic introduction: 25 minutes of flight time over Lake Wānaka and the township, with an alpine landing at 1,200 metres and panoramic views.
Ninety minutes over New Zealand's most dramatic scenery (alpine lakes, rugged peaks, rainforest and the fiord itself) with two alpine landings on the way.
Fifty minutes over the glaciers of Mt Aspiring National Park and the Earnslaw Burn, with a glacier landing. Note: January to June the landing may shift to an alternative site.
One hour deep into the alpine landscapes of Mt Aspiring National Park, with a memorable glacier or snow landing in the Southern Alps.
A fixed-wing flight from Queenstown to Aoraki/Mount Cook, then by helicopter onto the Tasman Glacier for about two hours on the ice, the guided glacier day for Queenstown-based travellers.
The wilderness triple from Makarora: a 15-minute helicopter flight over the Southern Alps into the Siberia Valley, a three-hour hike out, and a jet boat ride home with Wilkin River Jets.
Up past Harrison's Cove and the Pembroke Glacier to a snow landing near the Tutoko Glacier, beneath Fiordland's highest peak. Ideal if you are already in Milford.
Over the Kepler Mountains, the Kepler Track and hidden alpine lakes towards the Main Divide, with views back over Lake Te Anau and a landing beside a mountain tarn.
Follow the Milford Track up the Arthur Valley and over Lake Ada, circle the 581-metre Sutherland Falls and land above the shores of Lake Quill.
From the Fiordland Helicopters hangar at Te Anau Airport to Doubtful Sound, New Zealand's second-largest fiord, with one snow landing on the way. Minimum passenger numbers apply, and exact weights are required at booking.
Up the Iris Burn valley, across Lake Manapouri and Wilmot Pass to Doubtful Sound, with a detour into Campbell's Kingdom and a look into Bradshaw Sound: two remote alpine landings, one of them on Mount Kidd.
From Manapouri over Lake Te Anau and Fiordland National Park to Milford Sound, landing at an alpine lake and returning via the Murchison Mountains.
Fly from Te Anau Airport to the Luxmore helipad on the Kepler Track and walk at your own pace. Back by a pre-booked water taxi from Brod Bay or on foot along the lake. Not guided; exact weights are required at booking.
Pickup in Te Anau, a helicopter flight up to Mount Luxmore, then a fully guided 8 km walk on the Kepler Track past Luxmore Hut and 800 m down through beech forest to Brod Bay, back across the lake by water taxi. Up to 12 people; medium fitness needed, not for children under 8.
Also a good fit
Franz Josef and Fox Glacier are neighbouring villages where helicopters lift off right from the main road: short flights with a snow landing on the névé, Twin Glacier routes over both glaciers, and heli-hikes with a guide on the ice. Franz Josef, Fox or Mount Cook?
East of the Main Divide, the flights circle New Zealand's highest peaks: alpine landings, the Tasman Glacier, heli-hikes and the one combination that is partly flown in a ski plane, clearly marked as such. Lake Tekapo adds short flights over the Mackenzie Basin. Mount Cook
Wanaka flies into Mt Aspiring National Park and lands high above its lake; Queenstown has the biggest choice: from a quick Remarkables landing to glacier flights and the classic Milford Sound heli trips. Queenstown
Milford Sound is flown from its own airfield at the fiord, from Te Anau and from Glenorchy: short scenic flights over the fiord and its waterfalls, some with a glacier landing. From Te Anau, flights also head to the remote Doubtful and Dusky Sounds. Te Anau
This site compares eight departure areas: Franz Josef and Fox Glacier on the West Coast (glacier flights with snow landings), Aoraki/Mount Cook (alpine landings and Tasman Glacier), Lake Tekapo (short flights over the Mackenzie Basin), Wanaka (Mt Aspiring National Park), Queenstown (the biggest choice, from Remarkables landings to Milford trips), Te Anau (Doubtful and Dusky Sound) and Milford Sound, which is also flown from Glenorchy.
Scenic flights are weather-dependent and the operators decide on the day. If your flight is cancelled, they offer an alternative date or a full refund.
Snow landings on the glacier névé are the signature of Franz Josef and Fox Glacier. Aoraki/Mount Cook and Wanaka fly alpine landings, Queenstown lands on the Remarkables, and some Milford Sound flights include a glacier landing. Each flight card states whether a landing is included; pure overflights are marked as such.
