Experience Wellington from the Sky – A Scenic Helicopter Adventure Lift off from the heart of New Zealand’s capital and soar over Wellington Harbour’s rugged coastline. Discover the city’s dramatic, earthquake-shaped landscape as your pilot highlights key landmarks and natural features. Take in aerial views of Zealandia eco-sanctuary, historic Matiu/Somes Island, and—on clear days—the stunning Cook Strait and Marlborough Sounds. As you return, enjoy bird’s-eye views of Te Papa, the Beehive, and the iconic Cake Tin stadium. Perfect for locals, visitors, or cruise passengers, this flight offers a thrilling, unforgettable way to experience Wellington from above.
From the operator’s live schedule on Viator, checked Oct 12.
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Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
15-Minute Wellington Harbour Helicopter Flight lasts about 15 min. The itinerary has 9 stops.
Prices start at $172 per person for this Wellington experience, booked through Viator with the price shown before checkout. There is 1 booking option, so the final price depends on the option you choose.
According to the operator’s current schedule, it runs every day, starting at 10:00 AM and 3:00 PM.
Children aged 0–3 pay from $172, adults from $172.
Yes. Cancel at least 1 day before the start for a full refund. Later cancellations are non-refundable.
The experience is available in EN, EN, EN.
It is a small-group experience with a maximum of 6 participants.
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap Children under three years are free of charge provided they do not occupy a seat
Wheelchair accessible All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Confirmation is sent by the operator within 24 hours of booking.
Travellers rate it 4.3 out of 5 across 10 reviews on Viator and Tripadvisor; it is run by Wellington Helicopters.
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
I'm still feeling elated after an amazing helicopter flight today. The weather was perfect and the whole experience was fantastic. I was impressed with James who kept in touch with me to inform me of available times to fly. The staff were all friendly and helpful when we boarded the helicopter and we were given clear safety instructions. An informative commentary from our pilot made the day. Certainly a day to remember!
Excellent service by this team. Smooth operator and lovely staff. Highly recommend if you want to get the best views in Wellington.
Great to hear that you enjoyed the experience and I'll pass on your thanks to the team. We hope to see you again sometime! Cheers Dai
Amazing experience from pre-trip communication and great customer service, to the actual trip around Wellington Harbour.
Me and my son 15years old, absolutely loved it. The pilot Andy was amazing at explaining all the different venues/places belows. He was very friendly. The guy who explained all the safety guides was very friendly too. Took a photo of us in front of helicopter.
We had family from WA visiting and enjoyed showing them our beautiful city. They booked the 2.30pm 15 minute flight the night prior. Paid for and confirmed. Day of flight, 4/3/19, they went to check in early and were told a flight had just left for the Wairarapa. They may get a flight at 3.30 but they wouldn't guarantee it. (When booking there was only an 11.30 and the 2.30). Very bad attitude from staff, couldn't care less. Family leaving next day so refund given. What a disgrace!
Dear Imhooper, Thank you for taking the time to provide feedback to Wellington Helicopters, it is always good to hear from our customer’s perspective and we are disappointed that you feel that way. Whilst we understand your frustration at not being able to view our beautiful city with your family, we would like to explain the terms and conditions which are inherent to booking a scenic helicopter flight as well as your particular situation. Our scenic flights operate on two main variables prior to confirming the departure time – the weather conditions and having minimum passenger numbers (4 passengers) for the flight. These terms and conditions are outlined on our website and on the Viator booking page. We do our best to schedule flights to ensure they go ahead but there will be times due to either unsuitable weather conditions or lack of minimum numbers that the flights cannot proceed. We received your booking at 5.30pm (after office hours) the day before the flight through Viator for 2 passengers. We messaged you through Viator at 8.38am the following morning as soon as we opened to advise that the flight was not confirmed. We tried our best to fill the flight by delaying the departure time to allow more people to book onto it. It is unfortunate the flight did not go ahead, especially when your family was only available that day – usually if people are able to, we try to reschedule them to an alternative day and time that suits. Viator requires that we offer specific time slots for our scenic flights to enable you to make a booking, however, our flights are organised to suit demand and often bookings are adjusted to suit a mutually agreed time to ensure we meet the minimum numbers for each flight. It’s worth noting that the confirmation you received when you booked was an automatic confirmation from Viator, and we receive no payment for the flight from Viator until it is completed. We confirm manually with the client as soon as possible, which we feel we did in this instance given the time of booking and the time of our response. We thank you for your understanding of the situation and have ensured you have been fully refunded for the booking. Kind Regards, The Team at Wellington Helicopters
Our 15 min flight was actually 11 minutes. Nearly $400 for 2 of us felt like a lot of money for such a quick trip. We were seated on the wrong side of the helicopter to get the best views and if you are not in a window seat the experience is rather disappointing. I thought the flight might go round the bay one way and then back the other way so all of us could see the view. But we didn’t. This was a trip to celebrate a birthday and left us rather deflated
Hi Ed. I'm disappointed to hear that the flight did not meet your expectations. Please email us with the details of the flight (date/time) and i will look into this further. Thank you Dai
While this trip is short, it is very worthwhile as it gives you the most amazing views and aerial insights to our capital city. Travelling at speeds of around 250k per hour, you feel like you are just taking a leisurely stroll as there is no reference point to judge your speed. Great trip to use as a gift.
Thanks for the review Trina! We're glad that you enjoyed the experience. Cheers from the team!
This was a Xmas present - and the best present ever! Professional & competent personnel made for an awesome experience. Wellington was on it's best behaviour as well, which made the experience truly amazing. Highly recommended - just WOW!
Thank you for the kind review. It always helps when the Wellington weather puts on a good show! Please visit us again sometime. Cheers Dai
Thank you for an enjoyable flight, the staff were friendly and professional, the flight was flawless and it was amazing to see the city from the air. Highly recommended and would definitely do this again!
Was a awesome way to see Wellington, felt very safe. They were very friendly and professional staff. Highly recommended.
| Tour | Duration | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15-Minute Wellington Harbour Helicopter Flight | 15 min | 4.3 (10) | $172 | |
 15-Minute Crater Lakes Flight by Floatplane from Rotorua | 15 min | 4.6 (11) | $155 | View |
 Scenic Wellington Helicopter Flight | 9 min | 4.8 (23) | $100 | View |
 Wellington South Coast Discovery Helicopter Flight | 40 min | 4.8 (15) | $215 | View |
 Mount Tarawera Volcanic Adventure by Helicopter | 1 hour | 4.9 (11) | $571 | View |
 Wharekauhau Heli-lunch from Wellington | 3 hours | 4.3 (6) | $508 | View |
 Wellington 90 minute Harbour Cruise | 1h 30min | 4.9 (30) | $45 | View |