Scenic Flights

The weather around Wanaka is clear much of the time, which has allowed it to become a scenic-flight base for fixed-wing planes and helicopters. Flights take in Mt. Cook and the West Coast glaciers, the Mt. Aspiring area, Queenstown, and Fiordland.

Aspiring Helicopters. It may be hard to believe the scenery can get any better but fasten your seat belt and prepare to be enthralled. Aspiring Helicopters does scenic and adventure trips ranging from a 20-minute local flight to a three-hour trip to Milford Sound. If you can, the longer flight to Milford goes via Mt. Aspiring and includes a landing at a high alpine lake and on a glacier. If you're after the serious wilderness spots to climb, ski, bike, fish, or even get married—they'll take you there, too. 2211 Wanaka-Mount Aspiring Rd., Wanaka, Otago, 9381. 03/443–7152; www.aspiringhelicopters.co.nz. From NZ$185 per person.

Wanaka Flightseeing. Wanaka Flightseeing runs small Cessna aircraft to Mt. Cook, Mt. Aspiring, and Milford Sound. They also do private charters to create an itinerary of your choice. Wanaka Airport, 10 Lloyd Dunn Ave., Wanaka, Otago, 9382. 03/443–8787; www.flightseeing.co.nz. From NZ$240.