The Solo Scale:

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The Southern Alps are a majestic mountain range on the South Island of New Zealand. On a daily basis, you’ll see a flurry of helicopters heading up to Franz Josef Glacier and Fox Glacier. If this is an activity that interests you, you’re in luck. There are a few types of helicopter adventures you can take.

These include a heli-hike where you get a little more active, but there is a weight limit on this activity. If you want something more relaxed or worry about the limit, there’s another glacier landing option for you. This was at the end of my vacation, so I wanted something more relaxed. This version begins with a scenic flight that traversed over Fox and Franz Glacier and landed on the latter. It takes twenty minutes by helicopter to reach Mount Cook and Tasman Glacier, but to drive it took a full thirteen hours around the West Coast (but an amazingly scenic drive that I wouldn’t trade for anything).

Once you finish up in the booking office, you travel to the departure area. This is where you receive your assigned seat in the helicopter based on your weight. Because of the need to load it evenly, you won’t get much say in where you sit. If you’re lucky enough to get a window seat, you’ll get uninterrupted views of the glaciers. It really will make you feel like you’re in the middle of a sweeping majestic scene in a movie.

Soon, you’ll round over the mountain to land on top. There are multiple flights landing, but the snow on top is still pristine and gorgeous. Don’t forget to bring a jacket. While it might be muggy and warm down in the rainforest climate of Franz Josef, it’s definitely chilly up in the mountains (if the snow wasn’t a big hint). You’ll spend a little time up here on the glacier — enough for photos, for sure.

One of the cool things about doing this excursion solo is that while everyone else is taking their pictures, you can actually get to know your pilot a little better. The pilot we had was actually moving to Canada soon and would be flying between the Arctic and Ottawa. That’s actually a route that I’ve taken before, so it was awesome to get to know him a little better and trade stories.

Once you load back up, you’ll return to your departure site — and only a few hours will have passed, giving you the rest of your day to spend in Franz Josef hiking, doing other excursions, or simply enjoying your hotel!

There are multiple companies you can book with, so do your research and pick the one that feels right for you. I travelled with The Helicopter Line and had a great time (and you can find more details about them here!)

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