Heli Hike Middle Earth Waterfalls

We will pick you up from your hotel in Queenstown and drive to the helicopter base in Frankton where we meet our pilot for the trip. We’ll board our helicopter and start by flying over Ben Lomond and the Richardson Mountains to Mount Earnslaw.

You will enjoy views over spectacular peaks to the start of our hike to Earnslaw Burn. We will be dropped off down the valley and get to experience a magical 1 hour guided hike to the head of the valley to view numerous waterfalls.

This is one of the most magical locations featured in “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” and we’ll be able to walk in the footsteps of Bilbo and his company of dwarves under the waterfalls of Middle Earth (seen when they depart Rivendell to continue their quest). Those who may not have seen the film yet will be equally impressed by the surreal views of rolling high-country farmland and native tussock fields that transform into glaciers and plunging waterfalls.

We will have plenty of time to get some great shots, at the end of the walk, the helicopter will be waiting for us in the valley floor and we’ll ascend 1,000m past the waterfalls and blue ice of the hanging glacier before flying back to Queenstown.

Upon landing, you will be transferred back to your accommodation in Queenstown. This is a day your families and friends will be talking about for years to come!

Departure time options: On Request

Grade: Easy 

Walking distance: 1 hour

Duration: 2.5 - 3 hours

Season: October to May