Franz Josef Heli-hike

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Gilval
Gilval

Hello All! I'm off to South Island for 19 days with my Wife for our Honeymoon in November (unbelievably excited) and while I have my itinerary pretty much done one of the things we were given as a wedding present was some money to go towards a Heli-hike. This was something we wanted to do but discounted due to the cost, but now that we've had some help there I was wondering if anyone could recommend an excursion or a company to book with, or are they all pretty much the same? We'll be there in the evening of the 17th November and would be looking to do a morning trip on the 18th as a few people have said a morning trip is better than afternoon.

Thanks in advance!

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ianw6705
ianw6705

Congratulations on your marriage!

I can't make a recommendation on any particular heli-hike (review sites are probably best for that), but I can add two comments ... private rooms in the YHA Hostel in Franz Josef are great, and have some flexibility on your date(s) ... weather can be great one day and totally rained out the next (I speak from experience here), and it is one of the wettest areas in the known world.

Enjoy New Zealand!

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Gilval
Gilval

OK thanks! Unfortunately we'd booked a couple of things already by the time we got gifted some money (it wasn't something we'd specifically asked for) so we're a bit restricted on the day, we might have to just keep our fingers crossed for the weather!

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jstutu
jstutu

We did the Heli-Hike years ago, but we were very concerned about the weather when we woke first up.

But it seemed to be once you cleared the low lying clouds it is very clear up beyound ground level, the weather is quite different, and we had an experience on the glacier you would not believe.

The Heli-Pilots seem to be[with all the info they recieve] to be to be people to be believed.

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lilau
lilau

Also did a heli hike on FJ years ago (on a very sunny morning) and loved it. The helicopter ride itself is already great and they drop you high up on the glacier. There you get crampons and a stick and start walking, following in the footsteps of the guide.
We went through some blue tunnels, beautiful, although for me it was a somewhat claustrophobic experience with 8 people queuing up. But the whole thing definitely was a highlight and after all these years still a vivid memory. Do slap on plenty of sunscreen and put something on your head, very strong sun up there.
Sorry, can't remember the company....

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