Wanaka

Scenic Flights

The weather around Wanaka is clear much of the time, which has allowed it to become a scenic-flight base for fixed-wing planes and helicopters. Flights take in Mt. Cook and the West Coast glaciers, the Mt. Aspiring area, Queenstown, and Fiordland.

Alpine Helicopters. Alpine Helicopters has heli-skiing options in season, as well as heli-fishing excursions in Fiordland. Wanaka Airport, 10 Lloyd Dunn Ave, Wanaka. 03/443-4000. www.alpineheli.co.nz.

Aspiring Helicopters. Aspiring Helicopters does scenic and adventure trips ranging from a 25-minute local flight for NZ$155 to a half-day trip to Milford Sound, where you join a boat cruise on the fjord before heading back to Wanaka (from NZ$770). A Mt. Aspiring trip lands on the ski slopes (for NZ$375 per person). 03/443-7152. www.aspiringhelicopters.co.nz.

Wanaka Flightseeing. Wanaka Flightseeing runs small Cessna aircraft to all the hot spots. Wanaka Airport, 10 Lloyd Dunn Ave., Wanaka. 03/443-8787. www.flightseeing.co.nz.

More Sports and Outdoors

• Bicycling
• Canyoning
• Fishing
• Rafting and Kayaking

• Scenic Flights
• Skiing
• Walking and Trekking