About this tour
When Em from our team booked the Glentanner High Country Heli Hike, we got a proper taste of the Southern Alps without the typical Mount Cook crowds. An 8-minute helicopter flight deposits you on private family-owned Glentanner Station, one of New Zealand's most storied high country properties, where you walk a 7km track through alpine terrain shaped by ancient glaciers. The 4-hour experience (including safety briefing) blends backcountry scenery with station history — you'll see how early farmers wrested a living from this dramatic landscape. It's the kind of outing that makes you feel like you've actually gone somewhere, not just ticked a box.
Highlights
- Helicopter flight cuts the usual hiking approach — lands you straight into remote station country
- 7km track on private land, well-maintained but genuinely quiet and away from tourist trails
- Historic Field Station stop with home-baked snacks and hot drinks — proper station hospitality
- Guide knowledge spans geology, farming history, and the landscape's glacial past
- Mackenzie Country views reveal why early settlers chose these valleys despite the hardship
- Access to fully restored historic station buildings and exhibition — tangible connection to the region's story
- Moderate fitness level sufficient; not a death march for regular hikers
What to expect
You'll start with a safety briefing before boarding a helicopter that climbs steeply over the Aoraki Mount Cook region. Eight minutes later, you're touching down on the station at altitude, and the scale of the landscape hits immediately — tussock slopes, distant peaks, and silence. Your guide walks you through the 7km track at an easy pace, pointing out how the terrain reflects glacial carving and explaining what life actually looked like for the station's early managers and workers. The track itself is well-kept and not technical, though the altitude means you'll feel it if your cardio is dodgy.
Mid-walk, you'll reach the restored Historic Field Station, where the team stops for hot tea, coffee, or chocolate with home-baked treats. It's a genuine pause to soak in the setting rather than a rushed photo op. The exhibition inside adds context to what you're seeing outside. The return helicopter flight wraps it up — you're back to base with time to spare and stories that go beyond the usual postcard version of New Zealand high country.
What travellers say
- Helicopter access skips hours of hiking grunt, lands you in remote terrain
- Private station land means fewer tourists and genuine backcountry feel
- Guides carry real knowledge of farming history and glacial geology
- Home-baked snacks and hot drinks provided — thoughtful hospitality break
- Historic Field Station exhibition adds substance to the landscape story
- Moderate fitness sufficient for most healthy adults with regular walking habit
- Not suitable for poor cardiovascular health or spinal injury concerns
- Helicopter flight is brief — don't bank on extended air time
- Exposed high country weather demands proper boots and reliable layers
- 7km walk is steady, not for injury recovery or mobility constraints
- Peak season books out quickly; limited availability in summer
Themes summarised by our team from public information about this tour. Verify specifics on the operator's page before booking.
Good to know
If you're keen to escape the crowded Mount Cook Village circuit and walk somewhere with real character, this delivers. The helicopter access means you skip hours of hiking approach and land where few tourists venture. The station history is authentic — this isn't manufactured heritage — and guides genuinely know the story. Home-baked snacks and hot drinks are a nice touch, and hiking poles plus sunscreen and insect repellent are provided. Small groups, friendly staff, and the sheer novelty of a heli start make it worth the outlay.
Helicopter flights don't suit everyone — spinal injuries and poor cardiovascular health are red flags, and the altitude itself demands basic fitness (think regular walking, not couch-level fitness). The high country is exposed; weather can turn fast, so you need proper hiking boots and layers that actually work. The helicopter ride itself is short (8 minutes), so if you're paying partly for that experience, manage expectations. It's not cheap. Peak season (December–February) books out, and infants must sit on an adult's lap in the helicopter. The track is 7km, so you're on your feet for most of the tour — not suitable for injury recovery or mobility issues.
Tour sold and operated by Viator via Viator. Descriptions on this page are original BugBitten summaries written by our team — not copied from the operator. Prices and availability are confirmed at checkout.