Helisika

Helisika is a New Zealand helicopter company that has been flying hunters, fishermen and adventurers into remote country around the Central Plateau for more than 30 years. Its main base is Poronui Station, about 30 minutes from Taupō on the road to Napier, in the heart of the Kaimanawa and Kaweka Ranges.

Services

• Sika deer hunting with access to more than 40 private hunting blocks, plus fly fishing access to back country rivers
• Commercial helicopter work: frost protection, fire fighting, agricultural spraying, spreading and seeding, human sling, photography and filming, surveying, culling and pest control, precision long line and sling loads, beehive positioning and aircraft recovery
• Scenic flights, private charters and transfers through its tourism arm, Escape Aviation, based at Taupō Airport
• Heli-biking on the Kaimanawa Descent, a 23 km trail reached by helicopter, run from the Kaimanawa Alpine Adventures base on the Desert Road (SH1)
• Remote stays including a helicopter-only cabin and a glamping tent by the Waipakihi River

Fleet

• Two Hughes MD 500 helicopters (E and D models), used for bush landings, hunting and fishing transport, spraying and lifting
• One H130 (EC130T2) with leather seating for up to six passengers
• Three AS350 FX2 Squirrels, the first added in 2013, used for passenger transport, corporate charter, scenic flights, heavy lifting, fire fighting, filming and agricultural work
• An AS355 helicopter and a Piper Navajo fixed-wing aircraft at the Taupō Airport hangar

Bases

• Poronui Station: main base for hunting, fishing, remote cabin experiences and commercial work
• Taupō Airport, Escape Aviation hangar: charter flights and scenic transfers, often used by corporate clients
• Desert Road (SH1): Kaimanawa Alpine Adventures base for heli-biking, alpine scenic flights and glamping