In the evening we made it out to Jackson Bay to see the sunset over the angry Tasman Sea and spent the rest of the night discussing our travels with our B&B hosts since we were the only guests. The next morning we woke to a beautifully sunny day with clear skies as far as the eye could see.
Over breakfast we expressed disappointment to our hosts that we had been unable to see the glaciers and indicated that we were considering driving 2 hours back to see if we could get a quick flight in before making our way south on the 7 hour drive to Te Anau (this would make the drive time 11 hours).
Our host said, “Oh, you don’t have to do that. We know a pilot who will give you a private tour of multiple mountains and glaciers. He’ll pick you up here.” So, they called and we were waiting for confirmation while Kathy ran to take a shower, when a chopper landed on the front lawn of the B&B.
The next thing we knew we were at over 8,000 ft buzzing the treetops as we swept over mountain ridges in Mount Aspiring national park. Our guide, as it turned out, had been flying for over 30 years and is widely recognized as a legend in New Zealand. He is one of a handful of government commissioned top gun helicopter deer hunters from the 1970’s!
We had the most amazing flight of our lives winding along the rivers and canyon cliffs at close range. We set down twice. Once at a remote mountain stream (he said it’s a treacherous 2 day hike few would attempt) and ultimately at the summit alongside a glacier adjacent to a pristine mountain lake with the most splendid aqua colored water we’ve ever seen.
Words cannot describe the views… nor our adrenaline. Check out the pictures and particularly the movies (if you have a high speed Internet connection).
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