What to wear and expect on the Franz Josef heli-hike
What to wear on the Franz Josef heli-hike, what the operator supplies, weight limits and minimum ages by operator, fitness, how long it takes and a typical day.
Wear warm base layers and long pants (no jeans), bring sunglasses and sunscreen, and let the operator supply the rest: boots, socks, crampons, waterproofs, a helmet, a harness and gloves. On the standard Franz Josef heli-hike, expect about 4 hours from check-in, a helicopter transfer of around 4 minutes each way and up to 2.5 hours on the ice. You must be at least 10 years old, weigh between 35 kg and 115 kg and stand at least 137 cm tall.
For a longer day, the Franz Josef: Extended Heli-Hike with Lunch (Small Group) keeps you on the ice for up to about 5.5 hours, with a picnic lunch on the glacier and no more than four guests per guide. It costs from $876 per person and is open to over-14s only. The rest of this guide goes operator by operator, because the limits on weight and age differ between them.
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What to wear under the glacier gear
Dress in layers you can add to and peel off. Franz Josef Glacier Guides (FJGG), which runs the heli-hikes on Franz Josef Glacier (Kā Roimata o Hine Hukatere), asks for warm, breathable base layers, long pants and no jeans. Its waterproof jacket and over-trousers go on top, so what you wear underneath needs to keep you warm when you stand still and let sweat out when you climb steps in the ice. A thermal top, a fleece or light wool mid-layer and synthetic or wool hiking pants cover it. Both heli-hike companies ban jeans.
The ice is colder than the village. HeliServices, a scenic-flight operator, says it can be 5 to 10 degrees cooler on the snow than in Franz Josef, and the sun off the ice is strong even on a cold day. FJGG calls sunglasses essential, and the listings for both heli-hikes put sunscreen on the list. A writer for National Geographic recorded minus 6°C on the glacier on a sunny day, so do not judge the day by the weather at your motel.
What the other trips ask for:
- Fox Glacier heli-hike: warm clothing, sunglasses, a hat, gloves, sunscreen, your own food and drinks and any medication. Jeans are not allowed.
- Queenstown day trip with True South Flights: 3 to 4 warm layers, shorts or lightweight trousers to wear under the waterproof pants (no jeans), sunglasses and daily medication, with sunscreen, a small water bottle and a packed lunch recommended.
- Scenic flights with a snow landing: warm outdoor clothing, closed-toe shoes with a good grip and sunglasses. Heels are not allowed.
Winter needs more. FJGG runs all year and adds insulation layers in the colder months. Down in the valley, DOC asks you to carry warm and waterproof clothing at all times and to bring insect repellent, because sandflies are common.
Leave behind luggage, large bags, drones and selfie sticks, none of which are allowed on the Franz Josef heli-hike. A phone or camera is fine, ideally on a strap. On the Queenstown trip everything you take onto the ice must fit in a small 2-liter waist bag, which is provided, and lockers at the Glacier Base Building hold the rest.
What the operator gives you
Heli-hike operators hand out the technical kit at check-in, so you pack less than you would for a day hike. What each listing includes:
- Franz Josef Glacier Heli-Hike with Helicopter Transfer ($508): crampons, boots, poles, waterproof gear, a helmet and gloves, plus the safety briefing. FJGG’s own list adds a harness, socks, a waist pack and a warm hat.
- Extended Heli-Hike with Lunch ($876): crampons, harness and helmet, a waterproof jacket and over-trousers, glacier boots, socks and trekking poles, a warm hat and gloves, and a picnic lunch with drinks served on the glacier. You bring sunglasses and sunscreen.
- Fox Glacier: Up to 3 Hours Hike with Helicopter Transfer ($480): two helicopter flights, a guide, ground transport, leather boots and socks, crampons, walking poles, and a wet-weather jacket and over-trousers. A hat and gloves are on your own list.
- Queenstown: Franz Josef Glacier Heli Hike & Scenic Flight ($1,128): crampons, waterproof pants and jackets, both plane flights, both helicopter flights and hotel pickup.
- Scenic Helicopter Flight & Glacier Landing ($395): no hiking gear, because none is needed for 15 minutes standing on the ice. Wear warm clothing and bring sunglasses.
Food is the item most often missed. Only the extended heli-hike and its picnic include a meal. The standard Franz Josef trip excludes food and drinks, the Fox trip asks you to bring them, and the Queenstown day suggests a packed lunch. Eat properly before you check in, and carry a reusable water bottle, which the Franz Josef listing suggests.
Boots are supplied on every heli-hike here, so you can arrive in trainers or walking shoes. You do not need your own crampons, poles or waterproof trousers for any heli-hike on this site.
Weight limits, operator by operator
There is no single weight limit at Franz Josef. Each operator sets its own, and the rules for hikes differ from the rules for scenic flights.
| Trip | Operator | Weight rule |
|---|---|---|
| Franz Josef heli-hike | Franz Josef Glacier Guides | 35 kg to 115 kg; the minimum can rise to 40 kg on slick days |
| Extended heli-hike | Franz Josef Glacier Guides | Not suitable over 115 kg |
| Glacier Landing, 15 min on the ice | Franz Josef Glacier Guides | No weight limit |
| Fox Glacier heli-hike | Fox Glacier Guiding | Over 116 kg subject to restrictions, which may include cancellation |
| Queenstown heli-hike day | True South Flights | 30 kg to 115 kg; weights given at booking |
| Scenic flights | Glacier Country Helicopters | No per-person limit; 120 kg or more must buy a Comfort Seat at half the flight price |
| Scenic flights | INFLITE | 116 kg per passenger |
| Scenic flights | Glacier Helicopters and The Helicopter Line | No per-person maximum; you may be rescheduled if you weigh 15 kg or more over your declared weight |
Operators weigh passengers at check-in and seat everyone by weight and balance, so give an honest weight when you book. Glacier Helicopters and The Helicopter Line may reschedule you if the scales show 15 kg or more over your declared weight, and on True South Flights the listing says significant discrepancies may stop you joining at all.
Children and minimum ages
The minimum age depends on the trip:
- Franz Josef heli-hike: 10 years, with the 35 kg and 137 cm minimums.
- Extended heli-hike: 14 years.
- Fox Glacier heli-hike: not suitable for children under 9.
- Queenstown day: not suitable for children under 10 or under 30 kg.
- Glacier Landing with FJGG: 4 years.
- Scenic flights: infants can fly. Glacier Helicopters and The Helicopter Line seat infants under 4 and under 15 kg on an adult’s knee and give children aged 4 to 14 over 15 kg their own seat. HeliServices seats infants under 15 kg on a lap if they are declared when you book. Glacier Country Helicopters puts children aged 0 to 3 on a knee. INFLITE allocates and charges an infant seat.
The Helicopter Line says that in winter it steers children on the heli-hike to departures from 11 a.m. onward, because the ice is riskier early in the morning. For babies and toddlers on a scenic flight, Glacier Country Helicopters suggests a dummy or a bottle for the last 2 to 3 minutes of the descent, to ease ear pressure.
With children under 10, book a scenic flight with a snow landing, or the Glacier Landing from age 4. Our snow landing page compares the short flights. Pregnancy rules out the heli-hikes: FJGG accepts no one more than 12 weeks pregnant, and the GetYourGuide listings for its heli-hikes and Glacier Landing exclude pregnant women.
How fit you need to be
FJGG calls the heli-hike moderate. If you can walk comfortably for 2 to 3 hours on uneven ground, including steps cut into the ice, you will likely manage. The listing says the terrain is variable and reasonably challenging and asks for a reasonable level of fitness and agility; it is not suitable for people with back problems. The Queenstown day is not offered to people with a low level of fitness or with mobility impairments.
The pace is slow, with short climbs up cut steps and pauses while the guide works ahead. Standing still on the ice gets cold quickly, which is another reason to bring layers. On the extended trip you are on your feet for more than five hours, with lunch in the middle, so treat it as a full day out in the hills.
How long each trip takes
| Trip | Time on the ice | Total time | Helicopter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franz Josef heli-hike | Up to 2.5 hours | About 4 hours from check-in | Around 4 minutes each way |
| Extended heli-hike | Up to about 5.5 hours | 8 hours | About 7 minutes up, 5 back |
| Fox Glacier heli-hike | Up to 3 hours | 4 hours | About 5 minutes each way |
| Queenstown heli-hike day | 2 hours | 6.5 hours | 15 minutes each way, plus an hour by plane each way |
| Glacier Landing | Up to 15 minutes | 1 hour | About 7 minutes up, 5 back |
The Helicopter Line, which also sells the Franz Josef heli-hike, describes it as a 2-hour hike, so plan on 2 to 2.5 hours on the ice. In summer FJGG runs it at 7:30 a.m., 10:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Check-in closes 15 minutes before your departure.
What the day looks like on the extended heli-hike
The extended trip follows a set itinerary on its listing:
- Check in at Franz Josef Glacier Guides in the township, then a safety briefing of about 30 minutes while you are fitted with boots, crampons, harness, helmet and waterproofs.
- Walk about 5 minutes to the helipad.
- Fly about 7 minutes up the valley, over rainforest and the glacier, to a landing high on the ice at around 1,200 meters.
- Hike with your guide for about 3.5 hours among crevasses and ice formations, in a group of no more than four.
- Stop for a picnic lunch and drinks on the glacier.
- Hike for about another 1.5 hours.
- Fly about 5 minutes back down and walk back to the base.
The standard heli-hike runs the same way on a shorter clock: check-in 15 minutes before departure, the gear fitting and briefing, a short walk to the helipad, a flight of around 4 minutes, and up to 2.5 hours on the ice. Its route changes with the glacier, and the guide picks it on the day. The extended trip needs at least four guests to run; if numbers fall short, you can move to the next departure, take another trip if one is available, or get a full refund.
If the weather turns
The heli-hikes run only when the helicopter can fly, and there is no walking route from the valley to fall back on. FJGG needs a four-hour window of clear weather for the heli-hike and makes its final call just before departure. If weather cancels the extended trip, the listing guarantees a full refund or a new date. Cloud can also arrive after you land: one reviewer of the standard heli-hike was flown back down minutes after landing.
Book your first full day in Franz Josef and keep a second day free; FJGG suggests allowing at least two days. Our weather and best time guide covers the seasons and cancellation rules.
Pages for each trip
Our Franz Josef heli-hike page compares the hikes, the Fox Glacier page covers the Fox trip, and the heli-hike vs scenic flight guide helps if you are still deciding between the ice and the air. For the extended day, see our breakdown of the extended heli-hike, and for the standard trip, the heli-hike breakdown.
Pick Your Day Above the Glacier
Flights run on the weather, so an early slot leaves room to rebook. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
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