Heli-Hiking in New Zealand: Franz Josef vs Fox vs Mount Cook

What is a heli-hike, and why is it the only way onto the ice?

A heli-hike (also called a glacier heli hike or helicopter hike) is a guided glacier walk you reach by helicopter. You fly a few minutes up the valley, land on the ice, strap crampons to your boots and follow a qualified guide past crevasses, ice formations and, on some days, ice caves or tunnels. Then you fly back out.

On the West Coast there is no other way to get onto the ice. Tour operators stopped taking guided hikes onto Franz Josef from the valley floor in 2012 and onto nearby Fox in 2014, because rapid melting made the lower glacier too unstable. Franz Josef had been advancing until 2008, when it began to retreat, and after a spectacular collapse of its terminal face in 2012 it has been reachable only by helicopter. A 2014 study in Global and Planetary Change by Purdie, Anderson, Chinn and colleagues found both glaciers had lost about 3 km in length and at least 3–4 km² in area since the 1800s, and called the 2014 retreat the fastest in the records of either glacier.

The Tasman Glacier is a different case. It is New Zealand’s longest glacier, and its lower reaches are covered in rock debris and end in a growing terminal lake, Tasman Lake. You can walk to viewpoints above it or take a boat among its icebergs, but to walk on the clean “white ice” higher up you fly in by helicopter or ski plane from Aoraki/Mount Cook Airport.

Franz Josef vs Fox vs Mount Cook: head-to-head comparison

What the table means in plain terms: Fox gives you the most minutes on the ice for the least money. Franz Josef has the most theatrical scenery. The Tasman costs more because you spend more of the trip in the air, flying about 25 km up the Tasman Valley past Aoraki/Mount Cook and back past the 1,000 m Hochstetter Icefall. If the scenic flight matters as much to you as the walking, the higher Tasman price makes sense. If you want the most time in crampons, it doesn’t.

Divide each headline price by its maximum time on the ice and the gap is plain:

Mount Cook’s case rests on the length of the flights, the size of the glacier and the add-ons, not on cost per minute on the ice.

Franz Josef Glacier helicopter hike: what you get

Operator: Franz Josef Glacier Guides, Glacier Base, 63 Cron Street, Franz Josef/Waiau. They have exclusive landing access to Kā Roimata o Hine Hukatere/Franz Josef Glacier, and INFLITE provides the helicopters.

• Glacier Heli Hike: NZ$899 per adult or child, valid until 30 September 2027. On GetYourGuide it is rated 4.8 from 400 reviews.
• Up to 4 hours from check-in, with up to 2.5 hours on the ice
• Summer departures at 7:30am, 10:00am and 12:30pm (check in 15 minutes before)
• 1 guide to 11 guests; at least 4 guests are needed for a trip to run
• The flight from the heliport to the guide site takes about 5 minutes each way. You land high on the main icefall.
• Included: crampons, harness, helmet, waterproof jacket and over-trousers, boots and socks, trekking poles, a small waist pack, warm hat and gloves
• Restrictions: age 10+, minimum 35 kg (this can rise to 40 kg in slick conditions) and 137 cm for children, maximum weight 115 kg, no more than 12 weeks pregnant
• What you might see: narrow crevasses, ice towers, ice caves and blue ice. The guides say they can’t guarantee specific features on any given trip. An ice support team scouts the route every morning.

Other Franz Josef options:

Franz Josef heli hike price tip: Franz Josef Glacier Guides have run 10%-off promotions on departures after midday, and earlier a 15% book-early deal, which expired on 30 April 2026. Check their “specials” page before you book. Discounts usually apply only when you book direct.

Fox Glacier heli hike: the Flying Fox and friends

Operator: Fox Glacier Guiding, 44 Main Road, Fox Glacier township, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2025–26.

• Flying Fox Heli Hike: NZ$849 per adult, NZ$849 per child (9–16), valid to 30 September 2027. On GetYourGuide it is rated 4.9 from 366 reviews.
• Family deal: NZ$3,050 for 2 adults and 2 children aged 9–16 (saves NZ$346; book direct, no code needed). That works out at about NZ$762 per person.
• Up to 4 hours in total, with up to 3 hours on the ice
• Departures at 8:50am and 11:50am year-round, with extra departures on demand. Check in 20 minutes before.
• Minimum age 9 (children 9–16 must be with an adult); moderate fitness; no experience needed
• Included: leather boots, socks, crampons, walking poles, waterproof jacket, over-trousers, hat and gloves, and a small backpack (3 kg maximum)
• What you might see: you fly over the pinnacles of the lower icefall and land in a remote section with views of Victoria Falls, the meltwater stream from the hidden Victoria Glacier. Fox Glacier Guiding says this is where “glacial forces are greatest” and that ice caves, arches and tunnels often form, but it makes no guarantee.

Other Fox options:

Fox Glacier heli hike review: what guests say

The Flying Fox was voted #1 in Tripadvisor’s 2021 Travellers’ Choice “Best of the Best” awards in the Top Out of the Ordinary Experiences – World category, and its Tripadvisor listing shows hundreds of reviews averaging 4.9 out of 5. Not everyone is won over, though. One independent travel blogger who did the Fox heli-hike concluded it wasn’t worth the money for their purposes, mainly because flat light limited their photos. Our take: Fox is the best value of the three if you go for the experience of being on the ice. If you mainly want photos of vivid blue ice, pick the earliest departure on a clear day, or consider Franz Josef’s steeper terrain.

Mount Cook heli hike: the Tasman Glacier options

The Tasman (Haupapa) Glacier is New Zealand’s longest glacier. The Helicopter Line describes it as 27 km long, up to 4 km wide and 600 m thick, covering 101 km² and starting about 3,000 m above sea level. Mt Cook Glacier Guiding describes a 23 km “journey” from its upper snowfield; the difference comes from where each operator measures from. It lies entirely within Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, and two guiding companies run heli-hikes on it. Our Tasman Glacier heli hike page compares the bookable versions in more detail.

Option 1: Mt Cook Glacier Guiding, “The Adventurer: Tasman Glacier Heli Hike”

Sister company of Fox Glacier Guiding; flights with Mount Cook Ski Planes & Helicopters/INFLITE.

• The Adventurer: NZ$995 per adult, NZ$995 per child (9–16), valid to 30 September 2027. On GetYourGuide it is rated 4.9 from 329 reviews.
• Up to 3 hours in total, with up to 2 hours on the glacier
• Departures at 8:45am and 10:45am; check in 20 minutes before at Aoraki/Mount Cook Airport, State Highway 80
• Minimum age 9; low to moderate fitness; no experience needed
• Season: crampons on hard ice in summer; in winter, crampons, snowshoes or a mix of both
• Included: leather boots, socks, crampons or snowshoes, walking poles, waterproof jacket and over-trousers
• Your guide cuts steps into the ice as you go, using techniques handed down from New Zealand’s mountain pioneers

Option 2: Alpine Guides / The Helicopter Line, “Tasman Glacier Helihike”

Alpine Guides has been guiding at Aoraki/Mount Cook since 1966; The Helicopter Line does the flying.

• Tasman Glacier Helihike: NZ$995 per person from 1 October 2026 on both Alpine Guides’ and The Helicopter Line’s own sites. On GetYourGuide it is rated 4.8 from 262 reviews.
• 3.5 hours in total (Alpine Guides; The Helicopter Line says to allow about 3 hours); up to 2 hours on the ice at about 1,200 m
• 1 guide to 12 guests; at least 4 people per helicopter load; minimum age 10; you must be 18+ to make the booking
• Included: two scenic helicopter flights, a guide, boots, crampons or snowshoes, poles, and warm jackets, hats and gloves if you need them
• The return flight passes close to the 1,000 m Hochstetter Icefall
• Booking terms: Alpine Guides takes your card details but doesn’t charge until the trip. You can cancel free until 24 hours before, and you’re not charged if weather stops the trip.
• Private trips: Alpine Guides lists private rates of NZ$4,375 for 1 person, NZ$2,675 per person for 2, NZ$2,100 per person for 3 and NZ$1,775 per person for 4.

Option 3: “The Wigley: Top of the Tasman Glacier Hike” (ski plane)

• From NZ$1,095 per person; up to 5 hours in total, with up to 3 hours on the snow and ice. A minimum of 4 people is needed per group.
• You fly in by ski plane to about 2,200 m on the upper Tasman névé to walk, hike or snowshoe. A helicopter may replace the ski plane depending on conditions.
• Minimum age 13. Named after Harry Wigley, the pioneer of the retractable ski that let planes land on glaciers.
• This is the only guided glacier walk in New Zealand you can fly into by ski plane. For more on the aircraft themselves, see our guide to helicopter vs ski plane at Mount Cook.

Ice climbing at Mount Cook

• Mt Cook Glacier Guiding “The Cool Climber”: from NZ$1,375; up to 8 hours, up to 6 hours on the ice; minimum age 13; good to high fitness
• Alpine Guides / The Helicopter Line Tasman Glacier Ice Climbing Adventure: NZ$1,475 per person on The Helicopter Line’s site for 2026–27; allow 7 hours

The honest Mount Cook pitch: you pay roughly NZ$100–150 more than at the West Coast glaciers and get less time on the ice. In return you get the longest scenic flights of the three, close-up views of Aoraki and Mount Tasman, much bigger scale, and a base where you can stack a heli-hike with the Hooker Valley Track, a Tasman Lake iceberg boat trip and a ski-plane flight over two or three days.

Age limits, weight limits and fitness at a glance

Fox Glacier heli hike age limit: 9 years, and children aged 9–16 must be with an adult. That makes Fox, along with Mt Cook Glacier Guiding’s Tasman Adventurer, the place to go if your child is 9.

How fit do you need to be, and what is it like on the ice?

• The walking: expect up to 2–3 hours of stop-start walking on uneven, sometimes uphill ice in crampons. Franz Josef Glacier Guides put it simply: if you can walk comfortably for a few hours, you’ll manage. Alpine Guides asks that you can climb and descend stairs without help and walk at least 1 km.
• Steps cut in the ice: your guide carries an ice axe and cuts steps as you go. Franz Josef’s terms warn that steps can be over 400 mm (1.3 ft) high, which can be hard for people with low fitness or agility.
• Conditions that may rule you out: operators ask you to declare ankle, knee or ACL injuries, joint replacements, neck or back injuries, heart conditions, blood-pressure problems, diabetes or severe asthma. Alpine Guides says its heli-hike is not suitable for people with mobility problems, vertigo or heart conditions.
• Pregnancy: Franz Josef allows up to 12 weeks. The Helicopter Line’s rule is that if you can safely fly on an airline and have no exercise-related health issues, you can heli-hike.
• Older travellers: none of the operators we checked sets an upper age limit. Fitness and mobility are what matter. If stairs are hard for you, book a glacier landing instead: Franz Josef’s 15-minute Glacier Landing, or a ski-plane snow landing at Mount Cook.

What to wear and bring on a heli-hike

Wear: a merino or polypropylene base layer, a fleece or wool mid layer (3–4 upper-body layers in total; at least 3 insulating layers in winter), and lightweight trousers, leggings or track pants. No jeans: every operator says so, because they get heavy and cold when wet. Waterproof outer layers are provided.

Bring: sunglasses (essential; Franz Josef sells them at the desk if you forget), sunscreen and lip balm, a small water bottle, a snack, a phone or camera on a strap, and any essential medication.

Leave behind: backpacks and camera bags (Franz Josef and Fox give you a small waist pack or backpack), power banks and spare batteries, selfie sticks and GoPro poles, vapes and lighters, valuables, and drones. Franz Josef Glacier Guides note that flying a drone within 4 km of a heliport is illegal and carries significant fines.

How cold is it? Franz Josef Glacier Guides say a sunny summer day on the ice is only a few degrees colder than in town, typically +5°C to +15°C. From April to November it can be 8–10°C colder than the township, with winter temperatures on the ice between −5°C and +10°C.

Photography tips

• Book an early departure. Mornings are often calmer and clearer, and the earliest group sees the route the ice team has just scouted.
• Blue ice looks most vivid in overcast, even light. Bright sun can wash it out, and polarised sunglasses make your phone screen harder to read, so lift them when you’re framing a shot.
• Keep the phone on a wrist strap. You’ll be wearing gloves and crampons, and anything you drop into a crevasse is gone.
• On the Tasman trip, ask for a window seat on the return flight for the Hochstetter Icefall.

Weather and cancellations: the part nobody wants to read

No operator publishes cancellation rates, so treat any percentage you see online as a guess. Here’s what the evidence does show:

• The West Coast is very wet. Franz Josef Glacier Guides cite 6–8 metres of rain a year in the glacier region. They need a four-hour window of clear weather for a heli-hike and make the final call just before departure.
• Mount Cook is wet too, but less so in the lee of the Alps. Mount Cook Village’s mean annual precipitation (1971–2000) is estimated at 4,300 mm, according to Purdie and Kerr (2018), while the western slopes of Aoraki can receive more than 10,000 mm. The useful fact for travellers is that the two sides of the Main Divide often have different weather on the same day. If your route takes in both, you get a second chance.
• Seasonality is weak. Rain at Aoraki/Mount Cook falls “at any time of the year with little seasonal bias”, according to Heather Purdie and Tim Kerr’s 2018 peer-reviewed study in Mountain Research and Development, which also found that annual totals vary with a standard deviation of 15%. Don’t count on any month being reliably dry.

What happens if your heli-hike is cancelled?

Our weather playbook:

1. Book your heli-hike for your first full day in the area, with a free day after it. Franz Josef Glacier Guides recommend spending at least two days in the region.
2. Book the earliest departure. If it’s cancelled, you can often move to a later slot the same day.
3. Book direct if you can. Refunds through third-party agents follow the agent’s terms. GetYourGuide bookings can be cancelled free up to 24 hours before.
4. Call the morning of your trip. The Helicopter Line asks Tasman guests to call 24 hours before to check the weather.
5. Get travel insurance that covers alpine adventure activities. Franz Josef Glacier Guides strongly recommend it.

Booking lead times: Franz Josef Glacier Guides say to book “as soon as you have confirmed your travel dates”, especially for December–February. Tripadvisor data shows the Tasman Adventurer is booked 98 days in advance on average. Last-minute standby spots do come up after weather cancellations, so if you’re already in the village, ask at the desk.

Can you do a heli-hike from Queenstown?

Yes, though not in Queenstown itself. There are no glacier heli-hikes from the town, but you can do one as a fly-in day trip or as a long road day.

Franz Josef glacier heli hike from Queenstown

• True South Flights with Franz Josef Glacier Guides: NZ$1,995 adult and child (10–13) (≈US$1,123 / £852 / €992), according to True South’s live booking page in October 2026. Allow about 8 hours. It includes Queenstown hotel transfers, return scenic flights of about 60 minutes each way with a guaranteed window seat (returning via Mount Aspiring if the weather allows), and up to 2.5 hours on the ice. Franz Josef Glacier Guides’ partner page still lists NZ$1,599 adult and NZ$1,399 child, so confirm before you pay. On GetYourGuide it is rated 4.8 from 28 reviews.

Fox Glacier heli hike from Queenstown

• Glenorchy Air with Fox Glacier Guiding: from NZ$1,655 per person (≈US$932 / £707 / €823); minimum numbers apply and you book by enquiry. You leave Queenstown at 10:00am for a 1 hr 15 min flight to Fox Glacier township, join the 11:50am Flying Fox Heli Hike (up to 3 hours on the ice) and fly back. It isn’t sold on GetYourGuide or Viator.

Tasman Glacier heli hike from Queenstown

• True South Flights with Alpine Guides: NZ$1,995 adult and child (live booking page). About 6–7 hours, around 2 hours of flying, an 8:00am departure, a minimum of 4 passengers, and up to 2 hours on the ice. On Viator it is rated 4.9 from 82 reviews.
• By road: Aoraki/Mount Cook Airport is about 3 hours’ drive from Queenstown, so a self-drive glacier hike day from Queenstown is possible: drive in, heli-hike, drive back. Some Queenstown coach tours also bundle a Tasman heli-hike into a 12-hour day, such as Cheeky Kiwi Travel’s Mount Cook heli-hike and bus tour combo.

Is a fly-in day trip worth the money? It costs about twice as much as the heli-hike alone, and the main risk is that one weather call can wreck the whole expensive day. In one Tripadvisor review of a Queenstown–Tasman fly-in, the guest said the hike was cut short by weather and only a partial refund for the guided part was given. Read the refund terms for both the flight and the hike before booking. If you have the time, it’s cheaper and more forgiving to drive to Mount Cook (3 hours) or to base yourself in Franz Josef or Fox for two nights.

For more Queenstown options, see our guide to Mount Cook tours from Queenstown.

Heli-hiking with kids (ages 9–12)

• Age 9: Fox’s Flying Fox, the Fox Glacier Express, or Mt Cook Glacier Guiding’s Tasman Adventurer.
• Age 10+: the Franz Josef heli-hike too, as long as your child weighs at least 35 kg and is at least 137 cm tall. Light 10-year-olds often fail the weight rule, so check before you promise anything.
• Under 9: Franz Josef’s Glacier Landing (from age 4) or the Tasman Lake iceberg boat (from age 4).
• Best value for a family of four: Fox’s NZ$3,050 family deal, compared with NZ$3,596 for four people at Franz Josef or NZ$3,980 on the Tasman.

Sustainability and glacier retreat: why every trip is different

These glaciers are shrinking, and fast. Since 1977 NIWA (now Earth Sciences New Zealand) has flown an end-of-summer snowline survey over the Southern Alps. In Earth Sciences New Zealand’s 31 March 2026 release on the survey’s 50th year, “Fifty years of observations, no reversal of glacier climate damage”, Principal Climate Scientist Dr Andrew Lorrey said a cooler, snowier year was “only a stay of execution and not a reversal in the long-term decline of ice coverage”. Earth Sciences New Zealand’s Annual Climate Summary 2025 put the year’s nationwide average at 13.51°C, 0.77°C above the 1991–2020 average, making it New Zealand’s fourth-warmest year on record; four of the country’s five warmest years have occurred since 2021. Analysis of the snowline data by glaciologist Trevor Chinn and colleagues found the Southern Alps’ ice volume shrank by 34% after 1977, from 54.5 km³ to 36.1 km³ water equivalent. Stats NZ’s official indicator records a 35% fall in total glacial ice volume between 1978 and 2020, from 53.3 km³ to 34.6 km³.

For heli-hikers, this means:

• Features change constantly. Ice caves, arches and tunnels open and collapse from week to week. No operator guarantees them, and you shouldn’t book on the strength of a particular Instagram cave.
• Landing sites move. Operators shift routes and landing zones as the ice changes, and their guides scout new terrain every morning.
• The footprint question. Helicopters burn fuel. Several operators, including Fox Glacier Guiding and Mt Cook Glacier Guiding, display Qualmark and Toitū sustainability credentials and publish sustainability pages. If this matters to you, pick one well-chosen heli-hike rather than several short flights, and pair it with free walks.

Alternatives if you can’t heli-hike

Ice and flood conditions close these tracks from time to time. Check DOC and the Glacier Country daily access update before you go. For flight-only options, see Glacier Helicopter Flights: Mount Cook vs Franz Josef vs Fox, and for what every flight costs, our Mount Cook tour and New Zealand helicopter ride prices page.

Which heli-hike should you choose? Our verdict by traveller type

Best heli hike in New Zealand overall? For most people it’s the Flying Fox on value and the Franz Josef heli-hike on drama. If you’re already in the Mackenzie, or you’d trade steep ice for bigger views, the Tasman is the better day out.

FAQ: heli-hiking in New Zealand

Is the Franz Josef glacier helicopter hike worth it?

For most active travellers, yes. NZ$899 buys up to 2.5 hours on some of the most dramatic commercially guided ice in the world, with all gear included. If you only want the helicopter-and-snow moment, the NZ$699 Glacier Landing or a scenic flight costs less.

Franz Josef or Fox heli-hike: which is better?

Fox gives you more ice time (up to 3 hours compared with 2.5) for less money (NZ$849 compared with NZ$899) and accepts children from age 9. Franz Josef has steeper, more dramatic icefall terrain. Pick Fox for value and families, and Franz Josef for spectacle.

How much is a heli-hike in New Zealand?

For the 2026–27 season, standard heli-hikes cost NZ$849 (Fox), NZ$899 (Franz Josef) and NZ$995 (Tasman Glacier, Mount Cook). Shorter options start at NZ$749 (Fox Glacier Express), and full-day ice climbs run NZ$1,249–1,475.

What’s the minimum age for a heli-hike?

9 at Fox and on Mt Cook Glacier Guiding’s Tasman Adventurer. 10 at Franz Josef (plus 35 kg and 137 cm) and on Alpine Guides and The Helicopter Line’s Tasman heli-hike. 13 for full-day and ski-plane trips.

How fit do you need to be?

You need to be comfortable walking for 2–3 hours on uneven ground and climbing stairs without help. Steps cut into the ice can be over 400 mm high.

What happens if the heli-hike is cancelled?

Operators cancel for unsafe weather and offer a reschedule or a full refund (or credit). Franz Josef may also offer a shorter Glacier Landing instead. If you booked through an agent, the agent’s refund terms apply.

Can you heli-hike at Mount Cook?

Yes. Mt Cook Glacier Guiding and Alpine Guides with The Helicopter Line both run Tasman Glacier heli-hikes from Aoraki/Mount Cook Airport for NZ$995, with up to 2 hours on New Zealand’s longest glacier.

Can you heli-hike from Queenstown?

Not in Queenstown itself, but fly-in day trips from Queenstown run to Franz Josef and the Tasman (True South Flights, NZ$1,995) and to Fox (Glenorchy Air, from NZ$1,655 per person). You can also drive about 3 hours to Mount Cook.

Can you walk on the Franz Josef Glacier without a helicopter?

No. Guided walks from the valley floor ended in 2012, and the public valley walk stops at a viewpoint well short of the ice.

What should I wear on a heli-hike?

Thermal base layers, a fleece, and light trousers or leggings (no jeans), plus sunglasses and sunscreen. Operators supply boots, crampons and waterproof outer layers.

Related reading: Glacier helicopter flights: Mount Cook vs Franz Josef vs Fox · Helicopter vs ski plane at Mount Cook · Tasman Glacier heli hike · Mount Cook tour and helicopter ride prices · Mount Cook tours from Christchurch