Backcountry Helicopters

Backcountry Helicopters runs adventure-driven helicopter operations across the remote South Island of New Zealand. It is based in Makarora on the Haast Pass Highway, about 45 minutes from Wānaka, on the edge of Mount Aspiring National Park and the West Coast. The company says it has operated for over 20 years and operates under the family-owned Wanaka Helicopters Group, which was established in 1992.

Services

• Hunting transport into the Southern Alps, Otago and South Westland for red deer, Himalayan tahr and chamois, including DIY trips, spike camps and guided hunts with local guides, with DOC concessions for ballot blocks
• Fly fishing access to rivers such as the Dingle, Hunter, Wilkin, Cascade and Young Valleys
• The Heli Siberia adventure, Heli Siberia Max, Heli Jet combos and Heli Siberia Hike
• Private charters and transfers to lodges and key locations including Queenstown, Wānaka, Makarora and the West Coast
• Commercial work: precision long line, mining and mineral exploration support, and surveying

Fleet

The commercial page lists an AS350 B3E, an MD 500E and two B2 helicopters, with access to smaller aircraft for focused tasks.

Commercial capability

• Long-line lifting up to 1,250 kg, from beehives to concrete and heavy construction materials
• Pilots with long-line and drilling support experience from Canada
• Drill support for exploration: drill relocations, equipment and freight transport, crew movements and aerial logistics
• Surveying including repeater and weather station monitoring, snow and glacier surveys, GPS mapping, geological studies and animal surveying