Air Activities

The Air View Is Something Else Up Here

The thing about Mt Cook from the ground is that it's already enormous and imposing. From the air, it's a whole other level. Scenic flights over Aoraki / Mount Cook are genuinely one of those experiences where you land and just sit quietly for a bit. The ski planes that touch down on the Tasman Glacier are the standout for me - you get up close to NZ's longest glacier in a way that no walk gets you to. Use promo code RANKERS on scenic flights from Mount Cook to take a bit of the edge off.

Promo code RANKERS - good deal done!

Mount / Mt Cook Ski Planes and Helicopters

Promo code RANKERS. 10% Off

4.8 10 reviews

NZ Skydive Mount Cook

Promo code RANKERS. Save 10%

4.5 1 review

Air Safaris

Promo code RANKERS. Save 10%

4.3 54 reviews

The Helicopter Line Mount / Mt Cook

Promo code rankers. 10% Off

3.7 21 reviews

Tekapo Is a Good Base for It Too

Air Safaris out of Lake Tekapo cover similar mountain and glacier country but approach it from a different angle, and the reviews from people who've been going for thirty-plus years say plenty. If you're based at Lake Tekapo anyway, it makes sense to go up from there. Promo code RANKERS gets you 10% off here too. And if the idea of a parachute appeals more than a plane, there's skydiving over Lake Pukaki with the whole Mt Cook range laid out below you, which is a pretty ridiculous backdrop for it.

The gliding scene around Omarama is a bit of a different vibe altogether - quieter, more technical, and the thermals off the Mackenzie Basin make it one of the better spots in the country for it. Worth knowing about if that's your kind of thing.