Pedal and soar
Queenstown and surrounds has some pretty epic mountains. And HeliBike NZ has exclusive access to a great number of them, across private highcountry stations and DOC land in five Central Otago ranges. Jump in a helicopter to reach new heights and then follow your guide down through dramatic alpine landscapes and along nature trails, sheep tracks, steep technical rock, undulating mountain grass slopes, 4WD tracks… pick your playground and enjoy the ride.
Wind and wine
The wineries of Gibbston are just a short drive away from Queenstown – see them in style with Appellation Wine Tours. The company’s private excursions see you chauffeured between some of Central Otago’s top cellar doors with a guide on hand to answer all your questions. Over the day, you’ll stop at three award-winning estates, enjoy a standout lunch, then head to the air to see the vines from above, choppering over the region and enjoying an alpine landing at Slapjacks Point, offering breathtaking views of the Southern Alps.
Wine tasting in the company of a sommelier with Appellation Wine Tours
Mountains and rapids
Glacier Southern Lakes Helicopters partners with KJet and Shotover Jet to offer what is arguably the South Island’s most adrenaline-pumping day out: enter the Remarkable Flyer (KJet) and Remarkables Scenic (Shotover) tours.
These activities unite a thumping jetboat ride with a wondrous scenic flight that includes an alpine landing. You’ll be left breathless as you zip down the Kawarau and Shotover Rivers at speeds of 90kph. Add in a couple of 360-degree spins, and you’ll be ready to take to the skies with Glacier Southern Lakes Helicopters. The 20-minute scenic flight is spellbinding as you enjoy views of Lake Wakatipu, Coronet Peak, the Crown Range and Cecil Peak before landing on the Remarkables Spur, some 1,524 metres above sea level.
Blue skies and blue rivers
Avid angler? You’ve come to the right place. Over the Top offers a heli-fishing experience that comes complete with a chopper and pilot – and the remote streams of the South Island – at your beck and call for an entire day. You can even leave your rod at home as everything is included. Cast off at your leisure, move on at your will and then sit down to a hearty fisherman’s lunch, cooked on the banks of a river while you watch.
Over the Top takes golfers to a mountain-top green
Clouds and greens
A hole in one at 1,400 metres above sea level? It’s a thing when you sign up for a day of Over the Top Golf. This is what you do when you’ve played St Andrews and The Hills and need another notch in your golfing belt. It’s just a single par-three fairway located amid the Southern Alps. You arrive here via chopper, and then hit away to your heart’s content, backdropped by some of the most picturesque peaks in the Southern Hemisphere. Fly in, drive, chip and putt… then relax and enjoy those mesmerising views.
Pick-ups are available from our championship golf courses; The Hills, Jack’s Point and Millbrook Resort.