The road to Glenorchy is one of New Zealand’s most scenic drives, winding 46 km along the edge of Lake Whakatipu. With dramatic mountain views, native forest, and iconic film locations, it’s a breathtaking journey into the heart of the Southern Alps
Glenorchy, a charming village at the top of Lake Whakatipu, framed by towering peaks and lush native forests, is your gateway to epic hikes and iconic Middle-earth scenery. Now, see it from a whole new perspective: soar above glistening alpine landscapes and dramatic valleys, taking in sweeping views that few ever experience. This is the ultimate way to immerse yourself in New Zealand’s untouched wilderness from the air.
Your pilot will fly you deep into the heart of the Earnslaw Burn, an exclusive and breathtaking location. Marvel at the towering waterfalls and get up close to the impressive ‘hanging’ glacier that clings dramatically to the mountainside. Then, touch down in the remote valley for an unforgettable landing, where you’ll be surrounded by cascading falls and pristine alpine beauty — a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience.
After your unforgettable time at Mt Earnslaw, your return flight takes you over the breathtaking Rees Valley. Soar above its braided river and lush alpine meadows, framed by rugged mountain peaks. This spectacular finale offers a bird’s-eye view of one of New Zealand’s most picturesque landscapes before you land back at Glenorchy.
Descending the scenic Glenorchy Road after your Earnslaw Burn adventure offers a breathtaking perspective. The dramatic mountains and native forests now frame a landscape you've just conquered, making this drive home a vivid reflection of your high-country adventure.
This is an experience we will never forget. The views were spectacular and our pilot, Matt was very informative and helpful...as well as being incredbly safe!! We landed on the Tyndall glacier and stayed for about 10-15 minutes. Amazing experience! The landing at Earnslaw Burn was a must-do! So stunning I cried!!!💙🤷♀️ Don't leave NZ without adding this to your trip! Best $$ I have ever spent💙
This is an experience you will remember forever. The shear slopes ,the glacier walk , the waterfall ,all to be treasured in your memories
This tour was amazing! The conditions on our tour date were very windy, so the operator contacted us to move our tour earlier in the day. We got a bonus stop for our efforts! Beautiful flight over the Dart River and up onto a glacier. Touched down and were able to get out and walk around in the snow and admire the stunning views. Then flew down into a valley with tons of water fall. Hung out there a bit, then back. Our pilot was great with information and answering questions. He rotated the seating on the different legs so everyone got a chance to ride up front with the best view. What an incredible way to enjoy the scenery.
My wife and I had the most marvelous experience hiking in Earnslaw Burn with Donnie. It was a one of the highlights of our trip to New Zealand. The adventure begins with a helicopter journey into the Earnslaw Burn with very experienced helicopter pilot and a very experience guide, oddly from Scotland. Although we I am 71 and my wife is in her 60's we are in pretty good shape which helped with the leisurely 2 hour hike up some trails and thru some frigid streams. Make sure to wear good hiking boots. We learned so much and also enjoyed the serenity and awe inspiring mountains, waterfalls, streams and views of glaciers. It was an awesome experience. The adventure was topped of when we arrived at our end point to find chairs, lunch and even more natural splendor. Our trip home in the helicopter flew above the mountain with stupendous views and visions of the glacier feeding the streams. A must do if visiting Queenstown.
Awesome trip to a glacier and then onto Earnslaw Burn. Earnslaw Burn is just stunning and we spend at least 10 minutes just staring at it in awe. Definitely put Earnslaw Burn on your to do list before it goes entirely in another few years. We stopped on a glacier as well which was really special. Would definitely recommend to dona trip with heli glenorchy
Earnslaw Burn Encounter Helicopter Tour - This is the one! Look no further and chose Heli Glenorchy! Stunning tour with the absolute best customer service, every single staff member was lovely, helpful, genuinely kind, interested and friendly to the max. The landscape speaks for itself, and was simply unbelievably beautiful. We are still coming to terms with what we were lucky enough to see and do today, and feel super grateful to all the staff today for giving us a once in a lifetime experience. We never felt rushed, service was second to none. Seriously, do yourself a favour and book your heli tour here. Amazing!
This was the highlight of our trip to the south island. We had a Heli Hike to the Earnslaw Burns Glacier. Ethan our guide was fabulous and you had a real sense of a local company who cared deeply about their area and their customers. Matt the Pilot was fabulous and full of information as we flew. Cannot recommend highly enough.
We saved the best for last! After spending three weeks driving around the South Island and hiking over 150+ miles, nothing we saw compared to this. We left from Glenorchy on a sunny day and traveled to Milford Sound for a cruise, making two alpine landings en route, including Earnslaw Burn. Our pilot Chris was fantastic, providing commentary on the sights and history of the landscape. The beauty of Milford Sound is its impressive terrain and not its aquatic life, which is limited; if we were to do it all over again, we would skip the Milford Sound cruise and opt for the heli tour that takes you over the sound. Can’t recommend this strongly enough! This capstone to our New Zealand vacation was the perfect way to see a truly spectacular place and was worth every penny.
This company offers many different types of flights…. Costs range from a few hundred to a few thousand depending on your desired experience or budget. I chose the Earnshaw Burn flight with additional glacier landing for about $750NZD Aircraft was a Squirrel Helicopter and shared with two couples and myself. Matt was our pilot and he was very skilled and knowledgable about the area and where we were flying. The scenery is next level as we take off for airfield just outside the hamlet of Glenorchy, about 45 mins from Queenstown. We climbed up t ok the nearest ranges to push to our glacier landing…. Matt took us close and high over the ranges pointing out hiking tracks and trails as well as alpine heli-skiing sites. Our glacier touchdown was insane and we jumped out of the aircraft to walk around experience the scenery. Next touch down after some incredible flying and views we touched down at the bottom of Mt Earnshaw and the Earslaw Burn. We jumped out here as well getting the whole view of the Burn the mountain and glacier. Can’t praise the guys enough. Worth every penny…
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