Two of the Most Incredible Flights In The World

The Glenorchy Air (good spelling of Glen, that is!) flight to the Fox Glacier was very similar and very different from the flight to Milford Sound.  Carol and I were old pros at Queenstown Airport -- it was our fourth time there!  Maddy had only been there three times, so we had to ensure she didn't get lost!  (Just kidding -- the airport is pretty small, and she's pretty smart, so the "get lost" possibilities are pretty limited!)

Pilot and company owner Robert tops off

the tank.  He pulled the plane over by himself.

(Warning – private plane flights are expensive, but since we were limited on time in NZ, we wanted to maximize our time doing things, rather than spending days upon days in the car.)

It was similar because, for a while, all we could see is snow capped mountains, rivers, and lakes.
It was different because of the highlight.

The highlight was flying right next to, and around, Mt. Cook, the highest mountain in NZ.  After rounding Mt. Cook at a very close vantage point (literally only a 10-15 yards away), we headed down the entire Fox Glacier before landing in Fox.

Our plane was a four seater – Maddy and Carol sat in the back, and I sat in the co-pilot’s seat.  Small means small!

Second row passengers.  Last row passengers too!

Our pilot was Robert Rutherford, an older gentleman who turned out to be the co-owner and founder of Glenorchy (the spelling warms my heart!).  His wife Janet also runs the company, but she is not one of the pilots.

Random snow capped mountains.

Robert had this disconcerting habit of taking pictures of the views with his iPhone.  But, to be fair to him, there was never a problem with the flight.  He hadn’t flown the Mt. Cook/Fox Glacier run in a while, and given the beautiful weather, wanted as many photos as possible.  I got used to it.

Glaciers.  Don't remember their names.

(Btw, Glenorchy is a small town at the north end of Lake Wakatipu.  We didn’t drive out to it because nowhere did I read that suggestion – the clear inference being, ah, the drive is nice, but the destination is nothing special.)

The bottom photo is of Mt. Cook from afar.

The only scary moment during the flight was as we were nearing another snow capped mountain there was a cloud bank seemingly perched on top it.  We flew into the cloud bank, but it was small and the mountain was still a few hundred yards off.  Carol and I looked at each other as we came through that moment – Maddy, of course, was sleeping.

Top: Mount Tasman with Mount Cook behind it.

Bottom: Getting close to Mount Cook's flank.

(You have to understand – if the plane is flying or a car is driving and she’s not behind the wheel, Maddy is going to be sleeping.  Okay, she doesn’t sleep every moment of a car ride, but she does sleep for 90% of it!)

We were that close to Mt. Cook.

Mt. Tasman and Mt. Cook were quite dramatic.  Mt. Cook rises 12,218 feet above sea level, and clearly was the tallest mountain around.  Mount Tasman is right next to it, and is the second highest mountain in NZ (11,473 feet).  After flying at very close range around Mt. Cook, we slingshotted down Fox Glacier and into the valley below.

The very top of Fox Glacier.

(I think so, anyhow).

The flight back was surprisingly different, and beautiful in its own way.  My big screw-up was leaving my camera in the bag in the storage area of the plane.  I figured I had enough photos of snow capped mountains.

More of Fox Glacier

Well, because of the rain and clouds that had socked in Fox Glacier, we flew directly south down the coastline before cutting in towards Queenstown.  The coastline was stunning.  Very green, with some of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen.  And, with no roads leading to them, and hills rising right up near them, the unspoiled beaches went on for miles and miles.  I watched for whales or dolphins (alas, no luck), and took photos with my iPhone.

It was an amazing flight.  Words cannot describe the beauty of the South Island’s west coast.

Eventually we saw a road with a couple of cars, before finally coming to an area with a few more roads (not many) and a few houses.  Then we cut inland, flying past – yes, you guessed it – more snow capped mountains, river valleys, and the occasional lake.  We came along the start of the Shotover River, behind the Remarkables and into Queenstown Airport.

Part of Fox Glacier, having carved the mountain side.

On our four flights with Glenorchy Air, we got to see parts of New Zealand unknown to most people.  Stunning.  Absolutely stunning vistas.

The above photos were taken on the flight back

with my iPhone six.  They don't do the views 

justice, but it's the best I got!

After we got back, we wanted anything for dinner except lamb (great stuff, but we had it three nights in a row – one night I grilled lamb chops, and then we had two nights of Pedro’s.  So, we went to a little Trattoria – Farelli’s – near the waterfront, and enjoyed our dinner.

The food was good, but if you go, grab a business card and look at the picture on the back of the card.  Very weird.  Creepy!  I will try to scan and add it if I remember.