Departing from Queenstown airport, you’ll climb out past Mt Cardrona and over the Wanaka township into the heart of the Southern Alps and around New Zealand's tallest mountain, Mt Cook. Tracking along the Southern Alps offers views of the immense mountains that form this formidable barrier: Mt Glenmary, Mt Hooker and Mt Dechen to name a few. Views of some of the 3,000 glaciers abound, and out to the east as you draw closer to Mt Cook you’ll see the flat plains of The Mckenzie Country.
The region contains many water channels that feed water from glacial lakes Pukaki, Tekapo and Ohau into the Waitaki River, flowing to the East Coast. The Waitaki has 3 hydroelectric dams: Benmore, Aviemore and Waitaki; that generate much of the South Island’s renewable energy. Your pilot will also point out vast snow fields, beautiful turquoise glacial lakes, intricate river systems, glacial formed valleys and the formidable Aoraki-Mount Cook, towering above it all. Once you arrive overhead Mt Cook, you will be taken on a grand orbit of the Mt Cook area where you’ll see some of the major glaciers that make up the area: Tasman Glacier Franz, Josef Glacier and Fox Glacier. As you turn back toward Queenstown, you’ll have views of the west coast of the South Island and the Tasman Sea. Your friendly, experienced pilots provide an interesting and informative commentary and are happy to answer any questions.