A Shared Journey

As our helicopter lifts from the coast and climbs toward the snowfields of the Southern Alps, you’re not just flying over one of the most spectacular landscapes on Earth, you’re travelling through a living system where everything is connected.

High above, ancient glaciers carve their way through the mountains. Below, braided rivers wind through forests and wetlands, eventually flowing into the Ōkārito Lagoon. What begins as snow and ice at the peaks becomes freshwater that sustains wildlife, communities, and livelihoods along the West Coast of Aotearoa New Zealand.

At Glacier Helicopters and The Helicopter Line, this extraordinary environment is our workplace, our backyard, and our responsibility. That’s why we proudly support the Ōkārito Plant Project; a local, community‑led initiative focused on restoring waterways, wetlands, and forests, and protecting the fragile ecosystem you view from the air.

The project brings together businesses like ours, visitors, landowners, and the wider community to create real, hands‑on change. Native plants grown locally at the Ōkārito Nursery are returned to the land, improving biodiversity and water quality from the mountains to the sea. Our teams don’t just contribute financially, we get our hands dirty too, helping plant the future of this place we love.

When you choose to fly with us, you become part of that story. By contributing to the Ōkārito Plant Project during your scenic flight, you’re helping to ensure that these landscapes remain pristine, healthy, and thriving for generations to come. Ensuring future visitors can experience the same awe you feel today.

From ice plateaus to lagoon, from pilot to passenger, from visitor to community, together, we care for this place. Thank you for flying with us and for helping protect our place on the West Coast of Aotearoa New Zealand.