South Pacific Helicopters

South Pacific Helicopters is a locally owned and operated helicopter company in Kaikoura on New Zealand's South Island. It opened in October 2016 and is run by Monique and Daniel Stevenson. The company opened only weeks before the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake cut off road access to the town, and the site says the team helped restore access until roads reopened a year and a day later.

Experiences and services

• Whale watch flights: Discovery (30 minutes), Ocean Safari with a coastal landing (45 minutes) and a 60-minute flight with a Mount Fyffe alpine landing
• Ultimate Adventure of 80 minutes with an alpine landing
• Pacific to Peak and Scenic Adventure flights with alpine landings
• Heli-picnics, a heli-gin experience with Mt Fyffe Distillery and a mountain top wine tasting
• Whales and Hapuku Kitchen, a 3.5 hour experience
• Heli-weddings and heli-hunting, priced on application
• Commercial work, described on a separate commercial page

Fleet

The site shows one aircraft type, the Eurocopter EC130. It is a single turboshaft helicopter with a three-bladed rotor, six passenger seats and large windows, and the company describes it as a light utility multi-mission design.

Company facts

• Opened in October 2016
• Based in Kaikoura
• Logos on the site include Qualmark, Tiaki Promise, DOC Approved and the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand
• Experiences range from 30 minutes to 3.5 hours