Milford Sound - Fly or Heli?

Forums › Travel (planes, train, cruise) › Milford Sound - Fly or Heli?

CrashAndBurn

693 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 105

#280326 8-Dec-2020 21:31

Am planning a short trip to Queenstown next month and was wondering if anyone has first-hand feedback with regards to taking a fixed-wing vs a helicopter ride from Milford? We are planning to take a coach bus going to Milford then doing the cruise. It is the trip back to Queenstown that am not decided on yet. Pros and Cons of each given the helicopter option cost more. How is the ride overall as we have not been on a helicopter nor a small plane as such.

1 | 2 | 3

6656 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 3474

Trusted

#2618382 8-Dec-2020 22:21

You're doing what I recommended to tourists when I was in the industry 20 or so years ago. That is drive one way and fly the other.

I've done quite a bit of fixed wing scenic flying as a pilot so my thoughts are perhaps biased by this.

As far as choosing between fixed wing or rotary wing I'd probably go with the fixed wing option.

No matter which seat you get in the fixed wing you should get a good view. While the views from some seats in the chopper might be better than the fixed wing some (middle seats) will likely be significantly worse especially if you want to take photos. It will be luck of the draw as to which seat you get. Also some choppers can be quite noisy even with a headset on. I'd expect more space in the fixed wing especially for taking photos.

Either way it will be a fantastic experience.

Sony Xperia XA2 running Sailfish OS. https://sailfishos.org The true independent open source mobile OS
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6
Dell Inspiron 14z i5

Geektastic

18009 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 8465

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2618396 9-Dec-2020 00:51

Done it many times.

Heli over the mountains, land on beach. Fly down coast and into Milford Sound, then down the Sound and land at Milford Airport. Wander round, have a coffee and then back to Queenstown over the mountains.

Great flight. Recommended.

neb

11294 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 10018

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2618398 9-Dec-2020 01:21

Geektastic:
Heli over the mountains, land on beach. Fly down coast and into Milford Sound,

... in an olive-drab Huey, while blasting Ride of the Valkyries from a reel-to-reel tape recorder through external horn speakers.

Dingbatt

6804 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 3694

Lifetime subscriber

#2618414 9-Dec-2020 07:20

As long as you don’t suffer too badly from motion sickness you should be fine. It is only a relatively short flight but the topography and prevailing westerlies can make it a bit of a roller coaster at times. Even on a nice day, don’t expect an ‘airliner style ride’ and you won’t be disappointed.

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

floydbloke

3646 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 4554

ID Verified

#2618417 9-Dec-2020 07:26

If you're after a scenic flight also consider Earnslaw Burn. We did this back in October and it was the highlight of our two-week road-trip (albeit pricey at $750 pp). The added bonus is that you're likely to have the place to yourself since the only way in is by helicopter or a 6-hour hike each way.

(PS Do you really want to take flight in an aircraft with your username 😜?)

Sometimes I use big words I don't always fully understand in an effort to make myself sound more photosynthesis.

Handsomedan

7769 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 7402

ID Verified

Trusted

Subscriber

#2618433 9-Dec-2020 08:29

We bussed in and flew out on a fixed wing aircraft.

Amazing flight, but having done a few chopper rides in the area, I'd recommend that over a plane.

As said above - if you suffer from motion sickness, they'll be equal in terms of comfort, but if you don't - the chopper will give you a slightly more..."floaty" feel at the start and end. Other than that they are similar in terms of feel and you get lost in the beauty of the area anyway.

Edit: Spelling (atrocious this morning)

Handsome Dan Has Spoken.
Handsome Dan needs to stop adding three dots to every sentence...

Handsome Dan does not currently have a side hustle as the mascot for Yale

*Gladly accepting donations...

Dell

Shop now for Dell laptops and other devices (affiliate link).

rogercruse

644 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 211

ID Verified

Lifetime subscriber

#2618441 9-Dec-2020 08:51

We flew from Queenstown. The day went like clockwork, from being picked up, flying over the mountains to Milform, landing, finding the boat for the cruise, buffet meal on boat, etc.

Agt the quayside in Milton, there are lots of buses, cars, planes and people milling about so its easy to miss your boat connection. And as the lunchtime buffet was already laid out, many tourists were already eating as we boarded. So, there wasn't much left by the time we realised.

We also didn't realise until we spoke to others booked on our flight that due to poor weather (ie. rain!) that flights are often cancelled or delayed. One couple had waited 3-4 days. So be prepared.

frankv

5705 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 3666

Lifetime subscriber

#2618453 9-Dec-2020 09:15

rogercruse:

We also didn't realise until we spoke to others booked on our flight that due to poor weather (ie. rain!) that flights are often cancelled or delayed.

You wouldn't want to fly if the weather was dodgy anyway. Apart from the risk, you wouldn't see very much, and/or are likely to get bounced around if it is windy.

I guess you can either book ahead and hope the weather is good on your day, or wait until you know the weather is good and hope to get a booking. Possibly wait until you see a long-range forecast (e.g. Windy.com or MetVuw) before deciding whether to fly in and bus out or vice versa.

mentalinc

3384 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1023

Trusted

#2618458 9-Dec-2020 09:29

Depending on how many people you're going to be with consider chartering a helicopter (yes seriously!). It was cheaper for 4 adults to charter a heli than to pay for individual seats, they even threw a kid in for free.

It was amazing, I would heli both ways if you can afford it. The price difference between fixed wing then heli is not worth it.

CPU: AMD 5900x | RAM: GSKILL Trident Z Neo RGB F4-3600C16D-32GTZNC-32-GB | MB: Asus X570-E | GFX: EVGA FTW3 Ultra RTX 3080Ti| Monitor: LG 27GL850-B 2560x1440

Quic: https://account.quic.nz/refer/473833 R473833EQKIBX

CrashAndBurn

693 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 105

#2618492 9-Dec-2020 10:15

I was considering to fly/heli both ways but was wondering if I will be missing a lot when compared to taking the bus to Milford as the itinerary shows a few stops along the way?

Shindig

1621 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 362

Trusted

#2618506 9-Dec-2020 10:49

This is a great idea.

Having a quick look at prices $2495 for 2xAdults and 2xkids - 1.5-2 hr flighht time.

Worth the fee as a one time experience?

The little things make the biggest difference.

Dell

Shop now for Dell laptops and other devices (affiliate link).

Geektastic

18009 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 8465

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2618509 9-Dec-2020 10:51

I can recommend this.

Geektastic

18009 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 8465

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2618556 9-Dec-2020 11:00

Or you may prefer this.

Geektastic

18009 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 8465

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2618559 9-Dec-2020 11:04

CrashAndBurn:

I was considering to fly/heli both ways but was wondering if I will be missing a lot when compared to taking the bus to Milford as the itinerary shows a few stops along the way?

Avoid that bus like the plague - it is a very long bus ride (especially from Queenstown) and generally about as tedious and mind-numbing as bus rides usually are.

If you have the money to do the chopper ride, I can absolutely guarantee that you will end it with a grin from ear to ear and photos and memories you will never lose.

I have taken many clients on that and similar flights - nobody has ever said "I wish we had gone by bus."! 😄

CrashAndBurn

693 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 105

#2618571 9-Dec-2020 11:22

@Geektastic - I take it the first photo is fixed-wing? As that is another option that I am looking at to experience both e.g. fixed-wing going to and heli on the way back.

1 | 2 | 3