Aoraki / Mount Cook is New Zealand’s highest peak, and on a clear day it stands above the rest of the Southern Alps. The longer West Coast glacier flights reach it, with Tasman ice below on some tickets. Not every flight goes that far.
What you see from the air
The summit and its ridges
From the air the peak shows its full shape, snow and rock rising well above the glaciers around it. Depending on the ticket you fly by it or circle it rather than cross the top, and no flight lands on the summit.
Tasman Glacier below
Tasman Glacier lies below the peak, deeper in the Alps than the West Coast glaciers. Where included, seeing the mountain and the Tasman together explains how much ice this part of the Alps holds.
Mount Cook National Park
The flights that reach Aoraki / Mount Cook fly beside or over Mount Cook National Park, so the view is a wide field of peaks, snow and glaciers rather than a single mountain.
The glaciers on the way
You reach the peak by way of the West Coast ice. Franz Josef Glacier and Fox Glacier open the route on most of the longer flights. The 50- and 60-minute tickets from the Franz Josef Glacier page add Shackleton Glacier, and the 60-minute ticket lands there, weather permitting.
How to include it on a flight
Aoraki / Mount Cook is only on the longer tickets, including the 45-, 50- and 60-minute flights:
- On the Franz Josef Glacier page, the 45-minute Ultimate Discovery covers the three big glaciers and the peak, with one landing when conditions allow. The 50-minute Shackleton ticket also shows Aoraki / Mount Cook, along with Franz Josef, Tasman, Shackleton Glacier and Mount Tasman, with a snow landing of about 15 minutes when conditions allow. The 60-minute Mount Cook Supreme adds Shackleton Glacier, with two landings of about ten minutes each when conditions allow.
- On the Fox Glacier page, the 35-minute Mount Cook flight pairs Fox Glacier with a fly-by of Aoraki / Mount Cook, and the 40-minute Mount Cook Spectacular adds Franz Josef, crosses the Southern Alps and circles the peak.
The shorter 25-minute flights on both pages, the 35-minute Pilot’s Choice and the 35-minute twin-glacier ticket do not list Aoraki / Mount Cook. If the mountain is the reason you are flying, pick one of the tickets above.
Practical notes
Weather decides whether you see the peak, whether the route reaches it and whether landings go ahead. The route or landings can change on the day, and on tickets from the Fox Glacier page the final call on a landing is usually made around check-in. On tickets that include a snow landing, expect about 6 to 8 minutes on the snow on tickets from the Fox Glacier page and 10 to 15 minutes on tickets from the Franz Josef Glacier page, when conditions allow; a landing is never guaranteed. If the whole flight is cancelled for weather, you are offered another time or a refund as shown when you book.
Clear air matters more than the hour, so book early in your stay and leave a spare day in case the weather moves you. Bring sunglasses, a warm jacket and shoes you do not mind getting wet for the snow. Check in 30 minutes before your flight; you may be weighed. On tickets from the Franz Josef Glacier page, a front-seat upgrade can be requested at least 24 hours ahead, subject to availability.
See Aoraki / Mount Cook from a helicopter on West Coast glacier flights from Franz Josef and Fox Glacier. Book the Aoraki / Mount Cook Tasman 25-Minute Helicopter Tour.