15 Scenic Flights Tours in New Zealand to Build a Day Around

1.Milford Sound Small Group Tour from Queenstown with Scenic Flight

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 324 reviews · from $557Our pick

Small group Milford Sound cruise plus a fixed-wing flight back from Queenstown, with Te Anau stops, picnic lunch, and photo breaks.

“Our tour was absolutely incredible. Our guide Amy was so helpful and bubbly. She gave us great information and always told us what was coming next. She stopped to let us take pictures- which was great. We never felt rushed. Everything was perfect, on time and as described. The lunch was great- honestly more food than we could eat and yummy. Definitely get the lunch- it’s a long day. Boat ride was fabulous. Views were amazing! We flew back and completely enjoyed the flight- totally worth it and the highlight of our trip to NZ. If you can fly- you should do this. This is a great tour company and…”

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2.Kaikōura Whale Watching Scenic Flight (40 Minutes)

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 221 reviews · from $170

40-minute Kaikoura whale-watching scenic flight with window seats, live pilot commentary, and small-group viewing over the coast.

“Excellent organisation and brilliant pilot who showed exceptional professional skills and attention to detail”

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3.Cape Reinga Half-Day Tour Including Scenic Flight

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 137 reviews · from $346

Fly from Paihia to Cape Reinga, then tour by minibus with lighthouse views, Ninety Mile Beach, Te Paki dunes, and tea and coffee.

“Great tour, fantastic views over the Bay of Islands, and up to Cape Reinga, also saw the extraordinary sand dunes. Worth the money”

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4.Milford Sound Coach, Cruise, Scenic Flight

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 113 reviews · 9 hours · from $465

Coach to Milford Sound, cruise the fiord, then fly back to Queenstown with a guaranteed window seat over glaciers and mountains.

“We had a fantastic trip from getting on the coach with Greg to our amazing cruise. The pre booked flight back to Queenstown was extra special as we werent sure the wrather was going to allow it.Josef was an excellent pilot and made us feel safe on what turned out to be a trip of a lifetime!”

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5.50-Minute Mount Cook and Beyond Scenic Flight

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 103 reviews · 1 hour · from $295

50-minute Lake Tekapo scenic flight over Aoraki Mount Cook and Westland, seeing Fox and Franz Josef glaciers with live guide commentary.

“The flight was amazing and very informative too! Ahmed was super friendly and clearly very experienced. And the views speak for themselves!”

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6.30-Minute Alpine Scenic Flight from Queenstown

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 63 reviews · from $251

30-minute Queenstown helicopter flight over Wakatipu Basin and Skippers Canyon, with headsets and a weather-permit alpine landing.

“The tour was amazing. My partner and i had a great time .just to.short. guide chris was great with lots of knowledge. Top rating amd highly recommend.must for all.”

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7.Scenic Flight Transfer to Queenstown from Milford Sound

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 54 reviews · from $357

Fly Milford Sound to Queenstown in 35 minutes with live pilot commentary, classic Fiordland views, and a central Queenstown hotel drop-off.

“Air Milford provided our tour group a scenic flight back to Queenstown after a cruise on Milford Sound. We took off from an alternate runway due to changing weather. Anthony Sproull was the pilot of the plane I was in. We had 2 planes, with Read more”

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8.Milford Sound and Big Five Glaciers Scenic Flight

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 47 reviews · from $343

Queenstown scenic flight to Milford Sound and Mt Aspiring, live pilot commentary, hotel pickup, and views of major glaciers from above.

“It’s a good journey. The pilots are very friendly and professional and they are pretty knowledgeable about the geography and geology along the flight routes. The service staff are very communicative.”

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9.Milford Sound & Big 5 Glaciers Scenic Flight from Queenstown

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 43 reviews · 1h 30m · from $280

Air Milford’s 1-hour scenic flight from Queenstown to Milford Sound shows at least five glaciers, with pilot stories and hotel pickup.

“Sehr flexibel, möchten bestes Erlebnis bieten. Super Rundflug!”

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10.30-Minute Fiordland National Park Scenic Flight

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 41 reviews · 30 min · from $230

A 30-minute helicopter scenic flight from Te Anau over the Kepler Mountains, with a tarn landing and commentary on the Hidden Lakes and Track.

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11.20 minute Queenstown Scenic Flight

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 32 reviews · from $143Best value

A 20-minute Queenstown scenic flight with live pilot commentary, small group size, and views over Lake Wakatipu, Arrowtown, and the mountains.

“It was an excellent experience, they picked me up at the hotel and took me to the airport. Emma Penney was the pilot, and she did an excellent job, the flight was smooth and the commentary was very informative. I recommend this experience to anyone who wants to have an overview of the Queenstown area.”

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12.Mount Cook Day Trip via Scenic Flight

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 27 reviews · 8 hours · from $471

A scenic flight from Queenstown to Mount Cook with glacier views, plus up to 5 hours in the village. Includes transfers and a window seat.

“Activity was great. flying around mount Cook was one of the most great experience in my holiday in New Zealand. Very well organised agency and very interested conversation with pilot. Very safety flight.”

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13.Franz Josef Glacier Hike & Scenic Flight

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 25 reviews · 6h 30m · from $1,015

Fly from Queenstown to Franz Josef by plane and helicopter, then hike 2 hours with crampons and gear on a guided glacier tour.

“Great way to see Mount Cook and the glaciers there if you’re short on time from Queenstown”

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14.Scenic Flight over Mt Tarawera & Waimangu Valley

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 25 reviews · 40 min · from $236

40-minute floatplane flight from Lake Rotorua with aerial views of Mt Tarawera and Waimangu Thermal Valley, plus geothermal crater lakes.

“whilst we couldn't fly the full circuit due to the weather, we still managed to get up in the air and experience some of the local scenery. the pilot was friendly, competent and knowledgeable helping make all the difference. also since we could not fly the whole circuit, we were very kindly refunded a small amount. We would give this another go next time we holiday in the area!”

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15.Takaka: Farewell Spit/Abel Tasman Scenic Flight

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 25 reviews · 50 min · from $220

50-minute scenic flight from Takaka to Wharariki sea arches, Farewell Spit, and northern Abel Tasman, with live pilot commentary.

“A great flight over Abel Tasman with interesting commentary as we took in the spectacular views. Definitely recommend.”

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