For those seeking a truly unique New Zealand holiday experience, the Hollyford Track is now offering a fantastic and extremely personalised new way to explore the wonders of the remote Hollyford Valley with our new premier one day guided heli-hike. The one day heli-hike allows you to explore the wonders of the Hollyford Valley including a jet boat journey on the Hollyford River and morning tea at our own Pyke Lodge deep in the heart of the Fiordland National Park. You will be accompanied by a professional guide who will explain the history, flora and fauna of this World Heritage area and your helicopter provides access to many remote and dramatic locations that are rarely touched by man. This will definitely be a day to remember with no other itinerary offering such a diverse range of experiences.
We Provide:
- Door to door service
- Airport transfers
- Personal guide
- Helicopter flights
- Wilderness Jet boat ride
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- Glacial landing on Mt Tutoko
- Morning tea at Pyke Lodge
- Coastal or alpine lunch
- All necessary consents and permissions
- Day bags & jackets (if required)
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Your expert guide will collect you from your accommodation in Queenstown and transport you to your helicopter. Departing Queenstown for a stunning scenic flight to the Hollyford Valley, you’ll fly over some of New Zealand’s most divine scenery of alpine lakes, Glacial valleys and towering snow-capped mountains of the majestic Southern Alps. Upon landing, options include a rewarding walk through a mystical forest to Lake Alabaster where the surrounding mountains are often mirrored in reflection upon the lake’s surface or the satisfaction of a crossing of Fiordland’s longest swing bridge before visiting Pyke River Lodge for morning tea.
A short walk then takes you to your awaiting jet boat for the next part of your adventure. Powerful and safe, your jet boat provides for a captivating scenic ride along the swift clear waters of the Hollyford River and down Lake McKerrow with glassy water speeding past and mountains rising dramatically above, including Fiordland’s two highest peaks of Mt Tutoko and Mt Madeline. You may even encounter a family of Bottlenose Dolphins who are regular visitors to the lower river and lake.
You’ll disembark on the doorstep of an ancient forest where you’ll walk amongst impressive giant natives such as Rimu, Totara and Kahikatea, some believed to be up to 1000 years old. Soon this towering lowland podocarp forest transforms into a tenacious coastal garden where the thunderous surf on the nearby rugged West Coast is a symphonic background.
Your helicopter will be waiting to whisk you away for a coastal or alpine lunch before embarking on an amazing scenic flight along the rugged and isolated coast and into the extraordinary Milford Sound, stopping en-route for a, ‘highlight’, landing on the glacial plateau of Mt Tutoko. In Milford Sound you’ll be astounded by the towering peaks that rise vertically from the sea dwarfing all around them. On the return journey back to Queenstown you will travel over more seemingly endless alpine landscapes including Lake Quill and the mighty Sutherland Falls which cascades 580 metres.
Your guide will then transfer you back to your accommodation where we will say farewell and leave you to reflect upon your truly unique ‘once in a lifetime’ experience.
Note: This itinerary is weather dependent. If some areas prove inaccessible on the day alternative options will be provided.
