We had an amazing experience with Matt at Precision Helicopters. We called up Precision Helicopters after our other pre-booked helicopter tour in Franz Josef was cancelled two days in a roll due to fog. Matt was able to fly that same day (while others were grounded) due his location and having access to a valley that he can use to get past the fog. Matt was also very flexible - he had not planned a tour during the time we were available but made it work for us and took us on a maintenance run. Matt’s regular tour covers way more glaciers than those offered at Franz Josef, and given his maintenance trip was to the east coast we also had a few extra bonus treats. It was specular to see the dramatic changes in the diverse landscapes across the South Island… we flew over the snow capped mountain ranges of the Southern Alps and as soon as we crossed an opening to the other side of one mountain range, it was the flat dry Canterbury Plains. It felt like stepping through a gateway. Throughout the ride, Matt pointed out various landscape features, shared his knowledge of how these were formed, as well as other interesting things to look at (such as animal tracks), and just general knowledge about this beautiful country. We felt incredibly lucky and grateful that he was able to fit us in, and this spontaneous excursion turned out to be one of the highlights of our 3 week trip to New Zealand!
