Mt Cook Scenic Flight Review: Is it Worth it?

So, have you ever gazed up at a photograph of the Southern Alps of New Zealand, specifically at Aoraki/Mt Cook, that is? And if so, you perhaps found yourself completely breathless from that dramatic landscape, too it’s almost a magical place, right? A scenic flight around this colossal peak really does top nearly every traveler’s New Zealand bucket list. I’m talking a once-in-a-lifetime kind of splurge. So, the burning question has to be: is parting with a significant chunk of your holiday budget seriously justified for that 55-minute Mt Cook scenic flight? I mean, that sounds about right. We’re going to go there. I am just a regular person who took the flight, and you will get my honest opinions.

Choosing Your Winged Steed: Helicopter or Ski Plane?

The very first fork in the road presents itself early; are you very much in the mood for a helicopter or a ski plane for that flight? Now, both are pretty fantastic options to soar through the very skies. But hey, they do come with very different experiences. A helicopter tends to offer, in some respects, a far more intimate experience. You’re likely dealing with fewer passengers, and in that case, you get big bubble windows to soak up all the scenery, basically unobstructed views. So, then again, you can experience the rush of a vertical takeoff and landing; it’s all very James Bond. Then again, that sounds kind of neat. Helicopters often, too, can access spots other planes just can’t reach, really. This opens you up, arguably, to a potentially wider variety of routes and landing spots, so in the meantime, some tours might include alpine landings where you actually step out and set foot on a glacier – pretty rad, is that?

Ski planes, conversely, usually are more in the character of a classic bush flying experience. That feel about it is sort of rugged and adventurous, isn’t it? These planes can take off and land on both the airstrip and on snow, which makes them remarkably versatile, which is what they can do. One serious advantage of the ski plane happens to be that generally speaking, they’re slightly cheaper than that of a helicopter tour, it seems like. Then again, if budget is the topmost factor, it’s almost that this is an advantage you really may want to consider, in fact. Then again, do keep in your mind that the slightly bigger cabin size in a ski plane sometimes means it’s that you’re sharing your experience with far more people. It feels a bit more like a bus tour in the very skies, and it’s something you ought to be aware of. Then again, if you’re alright with some company, anyway, it won’t hurt at all, now will it?

Taking Off: What to Expect From Your 55 Minutes

Okay, so you’ve chosen your aircraft; what can you actually anticipate as you head skyward? You really may expect, like your pilot to give a safety briefing, you see, prior to takeoff. It really is going to be a professional job all the way, usually pointing out the many, many safety features of the craft and maybe what to look out for during that journey, and so on. And when you are airborne? Expect your jaw to genuinely drop pretty quickly. I mean, just imagine that the landscape around Mt Cook very swiftly transforms into some sweeping panorama of glaciers, and jagged peaks, and then also ice-blue lakes that very almost look like a painting, seriously. It sounds almost otherworldly, isn’t that?

Your tour often, I suspect, charts a route that is particularly designed to exhibit all the dramatic highlights, seemingly. So, think views of the very gigantic Tasman Glacier – so, New Zealand’s biggest – that really hanging valleys, and also then, of course, that unmistakable summit of Aoraki/Mt Cook itself, actually. Your pilot, you know, will in all probability offer up some commentary throughout, and so you are going to point out landmarks, give a very brief lesson in a bit of geology, and just then share a small handful of Maori legends linked with that region, it turns out. In this scenario you’re getting a genuine story unfold as that incredible scenery spreads below, basically.

Keep your senses open to just take in the whole sensory overload of this whole scenario, truly. Feel for the soft vibrations through the floor; hear what I believe is the very steady hum of engines as you are cruising; then, just take the air’s crisp freshness if that trip includes an alpine landing. So, I actually got to step out on a glacier; and hey, let me just explain, like your experience with this very ancient ice shifting right beneath my feet definitely felt pretty special. But hey, hold onto your hats, you know!

Photo Ops Galore: Capturing the Magic

The whole experience tends to be basically Instagram gold from beginning up to the end. Let’s be honest here, right? The sheer abundance of photo opportunities turns out to be nothing short of amazing, basically. Are you really attempting to get that very perfect shot of that mountain summit, or attempting to capture that crazy, intricate patterns in some glacial ice? It really is, so you may be rest assured that your camera –and your phone– are really going to be working overtime here, actually.

A couple of tips which I learned: try setting your camera to that continuous shooting mode in order to capture any action. It’s useful to catch every one of those scenic landscape changes outside. It also will improve your odds of snagging an image that is super crisp, basically. Next, you are going to wish to avoid reflections on the glass in those aircraft windows. Hold your camera lens on the surface; or, on the other hand, also consider utilizing some polarizing filter for phones and also cameras in general, literally.

More Than Just a Flight: Considering the Value

Alright, back that most crucial question: so, are the Mt Cook scenic flights genuinely worthwhile? Okay, I really can’t make any decisions on anyone else, now can I? But on a level with personal opinions, I want to give it an enthusiastic yes. It felt as if there was such a profoundness about it. A lot of people feel that they’re very small, yet I was just in all wonder around such magnificence, you see, that taking to the skies here really does give you a perspective on the very scale and wild beauty of this location; something I really, in my heart, thought I was always going to hang on to.

You’ll notice there are variables that definitely are crucial whenever assessing that true ‘value’. First, this experience tends to be dependent heavily upon weather, frankly. Be prepared, so it is almost that there is that potential for that tour getting postponed on account of undesirable conditions (you want a vivid blue bird sky, you see!). It also is very sensible, really, to factor in the total experience. It is just not about the very flight itself; rather, also take that trip up to Mt Cook Village, and then hike one or more in those incredible trails which are available around there, or take a walk on Hooker Valley Track, you know. Blend this into something big, that’s really where you’re beginning that feel of ‘worth it’.

So, Is It Worth It? The Final Verdict

The Mt Cook 55-minute scenic flight ends up being an investment; certainly that’s the case. But so it happens that in experiences – memories etched in our hearts – sometimes end up far more invaluable than material possessions, clearly. Therefore, in my view? This flight gives you access to some really very special way to actually experience just one of the truly outstanding natural wonders of New Zealand. The very landscapes viewed happen to be awe-inspiring, arguably the pilots can add color together with narration, the sensation is also really something you will carry along with you way beyond that 55 minutes. Therefore, yes – that’s exactly why I’d say absolutely do that. This experience just might change that complete landscape of your memory, truly.