Gin on the rocks. Literally.
Take to the skies for an incredible scenic flight and mountaintop gin-tasting adventure, before traveling to three tasting rooms to try award-winning gins and other spirits, including vodkas, whiskeys, and liqueurs.
Your Altitude Gin Journey Begins
This 6-hour Helicopter Gin Tour departs Queenstown in the early afternoon. Start your day with a pick-up from your Queenstown accommodation and enjoy a special scenic 15-minute helicopter flight. Land on a mountaintop, where the helicopter will shut down for 25 minutes allowing you to enjoy a unique gin-tasting experience while taking in the breathtaking views of Queenstown.
Cardrona Distillery
Your helicopter will touch down in the Cardrona Valley, and you will be greeted by your Altitude Tours guide and the remainder of your group. Enjoy a Gin & Tonic on arrival, and then the Cardrona Distillery staff will take you on a tour through the distillery to learn about the history of their label and educate you on how Gin is made. Finish in the private tasting room to not only taste the Gin they produce but also their other award-winning spirits and liqueurs.
The Winery Tasting Room
We continue the tour by road, taking the iconic and scenic drive down the Crowne Range to the historic gold mining village of Arrowtown. At The Winery sample three NZ gins accompanied by a tonic or soda while enjoying shared cheese platters packed with Whitestone cheeses, breads, olive oil & dukkah. If you would like to pause on the gins you can exchange your gin tasting for wines as The Winery has over 80 bottles of wines available to sample in their top-of-the-line tasting machines.
The Final Stop
Lastly, we head to our third location this varies based on availability. Here, you’ll experience a hosted tasting where you’ll learn about local crafted spirits and savour the flavours of award-winning gins. Here you will also indulge in a light snack. We aim to return to Queenstown around 6:30pm
Experience the Unforgettable
This gin experience has been designed to offer a good mix of education, sightseeing, and fun. There is also flexibility to try other spirits such as vodka, whiskey, and wines throughout, if you want to balance your gin-take. Let us take you on New Zealand’s first gin tour and experience more with Altitude Tours.
Tour Overview.
Queenstown Heli Gin Tour
Take to the skies on a unique Queenstown Helicopter Gin experience.
Gin Tour FAQ's
The helicopter is subject to availability at the time of booking and requires a minimum of four people to operate on the day.
The helicopter flight is also weather dependent and flights on the day are subject to the discretion of the helicopter provider who reserves the right to cancel flights at short notice.
In the event that the helicopter does not fly on the day of your tour, you will be contacted directly to determine if you’d like to travel by road.
You will have the option to choose other drinks such as whiskey, bourbon, vodka, wine, or beer. However the tour revolves around gin, so although there is some flexibility, you would really still need to like gin to go on this tour.
You will get to taste and drink local gins from The Cardrona Distillery, Broken Heart, Scapegrace, also other NZ brands. There is a range of flavours and variations such as citrus, pinot noir, mixers and ice to suit.
Yes if anyone does not want to fly by helicopter they can travel with our guide by road and meet the rest of the group at the Cardona Distillery.
Yes, there are shared cheese grazing boards and Tarte Flambeé a German speciality pizza. However this isn’t until stop 2 & 3, so please eat a good meal before departing on tour.
Absolutely! Just let your guide know of any dietary requirements at the beginning of the tour and this can be catered for.
This tour is R18 – unfortunately the locations do not take under 18’s.
You can wear whatever makes you feel comfortable! Make sure to bring sun protection for those sunny days where you might want to enjoy outdoor tastings. For ideas on what NOT to wear check out our blog: What not to wear on a tour
We pick up from the main bus stop routes in Queenstown town centre and along Frankton Road and select Queenstown hotels. When booking, type in your accommodation and it will suggest the closest bus stop. If it doesn’t come up just check in with us and we’ll let you know where is closest for you!
Minimum numbers for this tour is 4 people, and maximum is 14pax, so you’ll get a great small group experience!
Yes! All gin purchased is placed in the boot of the vehicle and passed over to you on completion of the tour so you can enjoy it after or later on your holiday.
No
You may still be able to join us! If you are a group of four or more, then reach out to our team as we may still be able to host you on your desired date.