“There’s so much more to life than we’ve been told. It’s full of beauty that will unfold…” ~ Josh Garrels
After joining Heliworks on their “Ultimate Combo” flight, I can easily say that it was one of the more exhilarating, memorable days of my life. When the weather-check gave our flight a “go,” I almost burst in tears from excitement. After about a week of rain and numerous cancelled activities, I kept telling myself that our flight with Heliworks would be cancelled as well. Thank goodness we were blessed with a beautiful day; there wasn’t a cloud in the sky!
As this was my first helicopter flight, I was a bit nervous about turbulence that could be caused by the surrounding mountain ranges. That fear was thrown out the door once we had an incredibly smooth take off, and flight as a whole. Michael, our pilot, was incredibly knowledgable of the area and flew us around with ease.
I’m having quite a bit of trouble putting into words just how spectacular Heliworks’ 55-minute Ultimate Helicopter flight was. Actually, words can’t really do it justice, so here’s a photo essay instead:
En route to Mt. Cook, we flew toward the beautiful Hooker Glacier. I was amazed at how up-close-and-personal we were able to get to the mountains.
We continued on, flying toward the magnificent Mt. Cook. Be prepared to be swept away by the true beauty of New Zealand’s highest mountain.
After taking in the vastness of Mt. Cook, we flew onwards to see Fox Glacier and Franz Josef Glacier from above. This was an incredible sight for us, since Franz Josef was washed out the day we were supposed to do our Heli-Hike.
We then landed on the Tasman Glacier. Michael, our pilot, fully shut down the helicopter and gave us ample time to soak in the beauty atop such a massive glacier. We were shocked at just how warm it was atop this glacier!
On our way back to Mt. Cook Airport, we circled around Mt. Cook for yet another mind-blowing view.
As a final goodbye to Mt. Cook from the sky, we flew over Tasman Terminal Lake to see the icebergs from above! This was extra cool for us, as we had hiked to that lake the day before.
Descending into Mt. Cook Airport was incredibly surreal. I can’t believe the beauty that can be witnessed in just one hours. Truly, I am in awe.
A very, very special thanks to Megan for coordinating our experience, Michael for flying like a pro, and the Heliworks Team for providing us with the flight of a lifetime. Photos taken by David M Gallo Photography.
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