Over The Top Helicopters

What Over The Top is and where it flies

Over The Top Helicopters is a Queenstown, New Zealand, helicopter company that flies its own scenic flights, remote landings and tailor-made trips. Its base is the Blue Hangar, 10 Tex Smith Lane, Queenstown Airport, and the homepage says it was founded in 1986 when helicopter pilot Louisa Patterson, "nicknamed Choppy", set out to show visitors the region. The FAQ says the company has operated "for over 40 years", that it is "a NZ Civil Aviation Approved Operator", and that "Our flying history dates back to 1976".

The destinations menu covers Queenstown itself, Milford Sound, Doubtful Sound, Dusky Sound and what the site calls the Outer Reaches of Southland. The homepage also describes landings on Franz Josef Glacier and Fox Glacier. The FAQ says the company holds "landing concessions in Conservation Areas in New Zealand, Fiordland, Otago and Milford", plus "private and exclusive access to High Country Stations" and consented helipads at restaurants, wineries, a private golf course and homes. The About page says many trips "drop in on some distinctive New Zealand characters", naming farmers, whitebaiters, viticulturists, eco guides, chefs and artists.

The flights on offer

Over The Top sells a small set of named trips and a larger bespoke service. Its signature trip, Milford Ultimate, runs 4 hours: the homepage describes it as a chance to "Stroll on a deserted beach, soar amongst mountains, and dine at an alpine lake suspended above Fiordland", with commentary on glaciers and prehistoric rainforest. The FAQ calls it "one of our favorites". Milford Sound & Glaciers takes 1.5 hours, flying over rainforests, frozen lakes and glaciers to Milford with an alpine landing.

Over the Top Golf is described as "Exclusive to Over the Top Helicopters": a par 3 hole "Nestled at 4500ft" that the site calls "possibly the world's most picturesque". Guests fly in, drive and putt, and the site offers to collect golfers from local courses after a full round and fly them back to Queenstown.

Around Queenstown, the site lists private access to conservation areas, alpine lakes, mountains and glaciers, "an al fresco lunch on a private high country station", a heli tour of Otago wineries and heli skiing. The gallery adds categories for snow landings, wine, skiing, Doubtful Sound and bespoke trips. The Doubtful Sound section notes that the fiord "is only accessible by boat or helicopter" and is known as the "Sound of Silence", with fur seals, penguins and a pod of bottlenose dolphins. The Dusky Sound section describes a fiord inside Fiordland National Park that breeds Fiordland penguins, and the Outer Reaches section describes landings on remote alpine lakes and heli hikes.

For planning, the homepage's Queenstown section notes that the town sits on the shores of Lake Wakatipu and "enjoys four distinct seasons", with summer from December to February and winter in June, July and August, and it points to the early Maori and gold rush history close to town. Its Milford section describes the Sound as home to fur seals, penguins and dolphins, and explains that weather rising off the Tasman Sea gives Fiordland its rain, which feeds the waterfalls seen on the flights.

The site offers "private or shared Queenstown helicopter flights", and the Bespoke Experiences page asks guests to describe their travel style so the team can design a trip. A blog post covers photography spots for a Queenstown helicopter wedding.

How a flight works

The FAQ covers the day in some detail. The company offers "complimentary shuttles from our downtown location, The Clubhouse or your accommodation to our helipad at Queenstown Airport", which must be requested at booking. The fleet is Airbus Helicopters, "utilising both the H125 Squirrel and luxurious H130", which the site says were chosen for "their proven performance and safety margin operating in mountainous terrain".

On clothing, the FAQ suggests long pants and layers, and asks guests to wear closed-toe shoes such as hiking shoes or sneakers, avoiding sandals, high heels and flip flops. It warns that the company operates "in an Alpine Environment" where conditions can be colder than in Queenstown. The site describes its trips as "leisurely", saying "your time is our time".

On safety, the FAQ says the company has held the International Helicopter Operators Safety Award "since 1999 when it begun", and the homepage calls it "the only Queenstown company to have consistently been awarded" that award, adding a recent award from the New Zealand Helicopter Association for its safety record. These are the company's own statements.

Booking, weather and payment

Booking is through a Book Now button, the contact form, or by phone on 0800 123 359 (free phone) or +64 3 442 2233. The menu also sells gift vouchers. The FAQ says "All of our website pricing is in New Zealand Dollars (NZD)".

Weather shapes the booking advice. The FAQ says "it is best to book helicopter experiences on your first available day and to keep spare days free in your itinerary in case it is necessary to reschedule". If weather stops a flight, the company will try to "roll" the reservation to the next available day, and "If all rescheduling options are exhausted" the guest "will be offered a refund", though "outsourced partners may have their own cancellation policy". One of the testimonials shown on the homepage praises the team for the effort it made to fly despite the weather gap between Queenstown and Milford.

What the site leaves open, and who it suits

The site does not show prices for Milford Ultimate, Milford Sound & Glaciers or the golf hole, so every trip needs a quote. The site does not state a cancellation window for a guest who changes plans (as opposed to weather), how many passengers share a shared flight, or any minimum age or weight rules. Which trips land on the glaciers, and from where, is not spelled out beyond the homepage description.

Over The Top suits travelers based in Queenstown who want a long, relaxed day in Fiordland with landings and a meal, or a flight built around golf, wine or a high country station, and who have spare days to absorb the weather. The site says the company has flown "Prime Ministers, Presidents, International Stars", and it clearly leans toward private, tailored trips; travelers after a quick, fixed-price scenic hop will find less detail here.