Embark on one of the world’s most breathtaking alpine excursions and get up close and personal to the remarkable beauty and awe-inspiring environment of the Franz Josef Glacier.
This once in a lifetime experience gets you to the very heart of this incredible glacial environment - exposing the most spectacular ice formations, mighty pinnacles, and pristine alpine terrain.
You’ll have the opportunity to experience this ancient glacial environment from astounding aerial view before exploring by foot, and even descending into the glacier itself!
A truly immersive experience that will be treasured for a lifetime, the Franz Josef Glacier Heli Hike is the ultimate journey into New Zealand’s alpine paradise!
All prices are shown in NZD ($)
Hi Emily, Thank you for your feedback. We are sorry that you were disappointed in our trip. Our Heli Hike is suitable for many fitness types. Although some medicals do prevent guests from participating due to safety reasons, we can take people from the age of 8 (minimum weight dependent) upwards. We hike on the flattest part of the Glacier which is also where we can land our helicopters safely. Safety is our highest priority and this is in the forefront of our minds at all times. As the Glacier is an ever-changing natural phenomenon, we cannot guarantee there will be ice caves or the like. The ice changes constantly, no two trips are the same. The Glacier Guides are full on information on the Hike which can enhance the experience. We do offer Scenic flights as well, which take you further into the mountains and feature a snow landing. We hope the remainder of your holiday was enjoyable. Kind Regards, The West Coast Team.
Un superbe après-midi! Le personnel d’accueil a été très aimable. Le vol en hélicoptère est incroyable avec une vue magnifique sur Franz Josef. Une fois sur le glacier, nous sommes directement pris en charge par 2 guides très compétents et sympathiques! Ils ont su assurer notre sécurité tout au long de notre marche sur le glacier, et nous on permis de profiter au mieux des crevasses et grottes glaciaires. La vue est incroyable depuis le glacier! Je recommande le Heli Hike, surtout avec la promotion Bookme non négligeable!
A beautiful afternoon! The reception staff was very friendly. The helicopter flight is amazing with a wonderful view of Franz Josef. Once on the glacier, we are directly supported by two very competent and friendly guides! They were able to ensure our safety throughout our walk on the glacier, and we were allowed to make the most of crevasses and ice caves. The view is amazing from the glacier! I recommend the Heli Hike, especially with the Bookme promotion not insignificant! Hi Solène , Thank you for taking the time to leave us a wonderful review. It sounds like you had a great time in the helicopter and on the glacier! The guides are all very knowledgeable and will take you to the best possible parts of the glacier, whilst prioritising everyone's safety. We are so glad you enjoyed your whole experience! Kind Regards, The West Coast Team
Awesome! We did abit of research as to which glacier (Fox/Franz) was better & which tour. I’m pretty sure we did the best one, as we were able to walk on the Glacier. Our guide (Canadian Mike?) was super friendly & made our whole experience unreal. Everything was provided. A short 5-10 minute helicopter ride, then we were on the glacier. Definitely recommend the heli hike to anyone who is unsure.
General speaking it was ok. However, the reception was not a professional staff. When I said I came from Taiwan, she tried to gave me Tail language manual. She don't know Taiwan and Thailand are different countries. Further more, I was speak English with her, but she use goodle translate to translate English to Chinese to talk to me. OMG, I never meet such unprofessional staff and feel very unrespectful by her serviced.
Cancelled because of bad weather, received an email and re booked for the next day. Checked emails in the morning, no cancellation email. Drove 2 & half hours to Franz Josef Glacier to check in only to be told it was again cancelled. We had received no emails or phone calls. I asked why and they said if they had to do that for one customer they’d have to do that for them all?! YES you should!!! When your customers are paying almost $500 each its the least I’d expect. A 5 hour round trip for nothing. Were asked if we wanted to rebook, we said no thanks.
Hi Steph, Thank you for leaving us valuable feedback. We do apologise for the service you received from us and will be improving on ways we can communicate with our guests. Sometimes we are able to cancel the Heli Hike earlier than expected when we receive the weather call from our pilots however some days the weather is incredible hard to gauge and we do not know until the check-in time if we are able to operate. Again, we apologise for the customer service and hope you had a safe journey home. Kind Regards, The Helicopter Line, West Coast
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Emily Glin from France wrote on 12 September 2018
Je m'attendais à mieux
J'attendais ce moment avec impatience mais j'ai finalement étais déçue. Un trajet en hélicoptère de 5 minutes maximum (même si très joli). 2h de marche sur le glacier étaient annoncées. Mais c'est finalement 30 minutes seulement de déplacement sur le glacier, en restant vers le bas, et 1h30 de sur-place. Quasi toujours à plat (Rien à voir avec les glaciers que j'ai eu la chance de monter en Norvège, un super souvenir qui m'avait motivé pour Franz Joseph malgré le prix). Très bien pour des familles avec enfants (même en bas âge) pour decouvrir les glaciers mais pas si l'on cherche l'aventure. Je me suis ennuyée. Le survol en hélicoptère au dessus des 2 glaciers aurait sans doute était plus sympa.