Top 5 St. Heliers Helicopter Tours: Find Your Best View!
Planning a trip to Auckland and looking for a way to see all those absolutely amazing sights? Forget battling traffic and crowded buses! So, maybe think about a helicopter tour from St. Heliers. It’s that kind of special thing, you know, that can really change your whole trip. That is, seeing Auckland from above gives you a whole other angle on things. Not to mention that getting up in the air is very cool, I mean like extremely awesome. We looked all over the area and came up with our top five picks. So, hopefully, this will help you pick the right trip for your dreams.
Why Choose a Helicopter Tour from St. Heliers?
Why St. Heliers, you ask? Well, so it is a super convenient starting point for seeing Auckland! That’s the quick version. Think about it. You are close to the city, yet really close to the islands that ring the Hauraki Gulf. Like seriously close. Meaning you get into the scenery a whole lot quicker. Also, leaving from here gets you some great views of the bays nearby even before you head for the wilder views beyond. Plus, St. Heliers is a beautiful place, even just to visit!
Is that there’s a bunch of amazing sights really close to the launch location. You know, like Waiheke Island with all its cool vineyards and beaches, or Rangitoto Island, that huge volcano. Yet a helicopter gets you to these kinds of places quicker and in super cool style. I mean it!
Top 5 Helicopter Tours from St. Heliers
We’ve looked at a whole bunch of them to save you some time. So, below are what we consider the five that are very top of the heap for doing a tour from St. Heliers. Yet obviously your call on that front.
1. Auckland City & Harbour Tour
So, if it is your first time in Auckland, this is maybe the tour you should think about, it’s almost certainly worthwhile. We feel you can get to know what’s what that way, actually. This gives you the very great hits, right? You go above the Sky Tower – way cool!, see the Harbour Bridge, and you circle around the harbors. In fact, you see a great mix of cityscapes with all that blue water, that the views are completely top class, actually.
And, you know, the flight usually takes somewhere around 30 minutes. Meaning you have time later for brunch and stuff, still. Usually!
What makes it great:
- A real very good intro to the geography of Auckland.
- Excellent views of all of Auckland’s iconic sights.
2. Waiheke Island Wine Tour by Helicopter
So, this tour is about having fun and a very nice lunch! I think that’s pretty much why people book this, in any case. You get flown to Waiheke in serious comfort, which is an adventure by itself. That, I think, makes this extra attractive for a special day or if you want to really spoil somebody. Think anniversary or very special birthday kind of deal. Then there is a fantastic lunch and wine tasting at one of Waiheke’s best vineyards. Seriously! After you had some very nice food, and perhaps bought a bottle or two, you fly back in style.
Typically the whole thing takes about 4 hours. A bit more, maybe! Yet really you get to use every minute pretty well. Remember that you are booking a very, very quality experience here.
What makes it great:
- Blends a scenic flight with a lunch that is real good at a classy vineyard.
- Just great for wine lovers and for marking something special.
3. Rangitoto Island Scenic Flight
The neat thing here, yet is it goes above the volcanic island of Rangitoto! That’s something right there. Is that the way that volcano seems to stick right out of the ocean! This will be a totally excellent trip for photograph enthusiasts as the views are nothing short of amazing. You’ll be so close; you get this strong feeling like you could just stretch out a hand and touch that lava rock!
The very normal tour takes around about an hour. So there’s that. Meaning you get some solid viewing time without cutting into other activities too badly. Oh yeah, I want to add here that you get views of other islands on the way, too. That would be Motutapu and Motuihe. Just that that are real nice, in fact!
What makes it great:
- Perfect for photographers. Rangitoto is real iconic, and great when captured from the air.
- Also you get additional island sights on the way! That makes for a whole range of super views, clearly.
4. Hauraki Gulf Island Hopper
Looking to just max out your views from way above, very far out? It’s that you want to visit several islands but you haven’t really got that kind of time? It’s almost that this longer flight travels through most of the Hauraki Gulf and offers views of loads and loads of places. Actually so many, that is makes the expense pretty valid. So that are Great Barrier, Kawau, and Waiheke Island…and more! Basically that they will custom make a longer run that covers just what you want to catch.
Yeah that the price varies a lot depending on the custom trip they are planning with you. Actually plan to pay up a bunch, but figure this is also, that is like, possibly, you know, an ultimate once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing! Also, maybe see it as something like renting your own tour aircraft. It’s also almost certainly worth pricing this one just to dream a bit about it, if I might add to that. Is that this really stands out on a day when you might go skydiving as well.
What makes it great:
- Covers huge swathes of beautiful scenic views, of so many places, obviously!
- Can customize it to only include the super best island views you’ve always hoped to get, certainly.
5. Romantic Sunset Flight
Okay so very first of all I should mention these trips might need booking in advance as they’re super very well loved. In a way, it has this certain mood about it. That really there might be nothing to top the golden glow as the sun lowers on the ocean horizon… especially when viewed from way above in a very nice aircraft, of course. Often, so they go a route that gives you a little taste of the highlights described previously. It depends so much on timing and light, anyway. Oh, and they usually add Champagne! That just finishes off that kind of lovely, elegant moment.
As for the prices, they usually charge somewhere from about $800, yet clearly depends on which outfit you call. So you will need to think carefully. I’d claim, if this does not produce major romance then no thing will, in that respect.
What makes it great:
- In all fairness, those magic hours above ground would leave even a statue speechless, of course.
- Oh, with sparkling Champagne included to celebrate properly. Why wouldn’t that add something?