Queenstown Heli Gin Tour

Welcome to the world’s first helicopter gin tour. In the 1980’s it was wine, then craft beer and now the gin-dustry is making its mark in Central Otago. Let us take you on a gin journey and taste award-winning gins, learn about the distillation process, and graze on delicious shared platters, all while taking in the best scenery and sightseeing in the region.

On this afternoon tour, you will be picked up by our helicopter partner and whisked away on a 15-minute scenic flight to a secluded mountain location with panoramic views. Here your pilot will open the hatch, present, and pour a very exclusive and special gin - a truly remarkable way to kick off your afternoon. From here you will fly and land to join your Altitude Tours guide at the Cardrona Distillery, continuing by road for the remainder of the afternoon.

At the Cardrona Distillery, you will meet your gin guide and be taken through a full sensory, tactile tour of the facilities including a private tasting. We then continue down the Crown Range into the historic gold mining town of Arrowtown where we visit a wonderful cellar door experience called ‘The Winery’. Using the knowledge you have just gained, you will have a relaxed self-guided experience with a gin-tasting paddle to enjoy alongside shared grazing cheese boards.  The final stop is located near Queenstown at the “Gin Garden by Broken Heart Spirits'. You will be guided through a range of local Broken Heart gins in a private room with traditional German Tarte Flambee to share.

This gin experience has been designed to be a nice mix of education, sightseeing, and fun. It is perfect for all types of people and there is some flexibility to try other spirits such as vodka, whiskey, and of course wines throughout if you want to balance or restrict your gin-take.

The 6 hour Heli Gin Tour departs Queenstown on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 12:15pm, returning at 6:30pm.

• Join the world's first Heli Gin Tour
• Enjoy a scenic helicopter flight from Queenstown including an exclusive mountain top gin tasting
• Experience gin tastings at three unique locations
• Take a tour and learn about the gin making process at the Cardrona Distillery
• Enjoy shared grazing platters and German Tarte Flambee
• Travel in a premium Mercedes vehicle with Wi-Fi and Spotify
• Be hosted by a fun and friendly guide

Altitude Tours is an award-winning small group tour operator. They were the winners of the resilience and innovation award at the 2022 New Zealand Tourism Awards and were nominated for Visitor Experience at both the 2021, 2022 and 2023 awards, and at the TECNZ awards 2022.