Salt Air

Salt Air

Cultural ToursHelicopter ToursSightseeing ToursPrivate ToursAir Tours
8:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
8:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
8:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
8:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
8:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
8:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
8:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
8:30 AM - 6:00 PM
About
Salt Air's helicopter and fixed wing scenic flights and tours offer you a unique and memorable experience of the Bay of Islands and Northland from the air with spectacular coastline views and island scenery. Our guided tour options and island escapes will also leave you with an appreciation of our beaches, local history, culture and coastal environment that is uniquely Northland.
Paihia, New Zealand

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Tours and Tickets by Salt Air
Travelers talk about

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.9
4.9 of 5 bubbles563 reviews
Excellent
538
Very good
21
Average
1
Poor
1
Terrible
2

UKtraveller055
London, UK65 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2024 • Couples
Booked the half day Cape Reinga fly/drive tour on the web and had a fantastic time. We were picked up at our hotel in Paihia by Jim, and taken to the airport where we met our pilot, Mikhail hope I’ve spelt that correctly for the trip. After short but thorough safety briefing we were airborne and taking in stunning sights from the airplane as it cruised north toward Cape Reinga. Our pilot kept us updated with facts about the region we were flying over and then it was time to land. Having played “spot the runway” we touched down on a tiny grass strip perfectly. From here we were taken in a very comfortable minibus to see the lighthouse, a most beautiful beach where tea/coffee & refreshments were served, then on to some huge sand dunes where we watched as some brave/foolhardy souls slid down on boards.
The return flight took a different route showing even more of the beautiful scenery associated with this part of the North Island, culminating in a flight around the Bay of Islands before touching down at the airport.
We both thoroughly enjoyed this activity, it was extremely well managed from start to finish, our pilot was incredible, great commentary, very engaging and very skilful. The website describes it as a “must-do” neither of us would disagree with that statement. If you have the opportunity take it and book this tour you will not regret it.
Written April 25, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

ThePell
Lucerne, Switzerland49 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2023
We chartered Salt Air to get us to Auckland when all other means of transportation fell through (cancelled commercial flights, roads closed, etc). And when weather prevented them from flying us all the way to our desired airport, they really went above and beyond to find a work-around that still got us to our destination on time. Everyone was extremely friendly and incredibly helpful - I can't say enough good things about them!
Written January 27, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We're happy we could help you get to Auckland and enjoy the rest of your holiday, despite the weather! Thank you to you guys for being so relaxed and easy to work plans with :)
Written February 10, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Sightseer23267148356
8 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2024 • Friends
What a brilliant tour with an amazing pilot. The flight was as smooth as silk, perfect take off and landings for one of our friends which was their first time. The pilot explained what we were looking at, answering questions and the stop on the hole in the rock, WOW!!
Written January 20, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Paula W
Surrey, UK145 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2024 • Friends
We turned up on the off chance to see if we could get a flight out to Hole in the Rock. The staff couldn’t be more friendly or helpful. They got us on the next flight. We did the 35 min tour with the landing at the top of Hole in the Rock. OMG we had the best time, Toby our pilot gave us a commentary about the Bay of Islands on the way out and told us all about the Hole in the Rock and gave us little tour at the top, there’s not much space up there. Then flew us back seeing different views on the way back.
Highly recommend this trip it was one of the highlights of our visit.
Top tip you can’t book on line if it’s within 24 hours of when you want to go. So if you can’t find spaces on line, pop in or give them a ring and hopefully you’ll be lucky like we were. Thank you for a great memory
Written January 27, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sheryl S
Greenwich, Connecticut, United States11 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2024 • Family
This is an excellent operator. I cannot say strongly enough how responsive, professional and courteous the dispatcher and pilot were. They provided a charter helicopter after our flight was cancelled within 20 minutes of phoning them. They even arranged for ground transportation to AKL once we landed nearby. We made our international flight with room to spare. Exceptional.
Written February 3, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I am so pleased to hear that everything went so smoothly for you and you made your international flight.
Written February 14, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

JohnW
7 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2023 • Friends
Awesome experience. Flying by helicopter over the Bay of Islands. Landing on the Hole in the Rock is special. The scenery is spectacular. Colin our pilot was so very friendly and informative. He made you feel safe and secure. I would highly recommend this flight. You will not be disappointed. Had a smile on my face for the rest of my stay.
Written March 27, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Euan K
31 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2020 • Couples
We did the brief scenic around the Bay of Islands. We were well looked after by the staff and the pilot made the most of the good weather by offering us running commentary of what we were looking at below.

A top shelf morning topped off by an excellent experience.
Written October 19, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Great to hear everything was excellent for your helicopter flight with us, thanks for your recommendation.
Written October 20, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

SvenSydney
Sydney57 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2020
We had Jake who took us to a beach where James Cook had landed, and told us the history of the interaction with local Maori. We walked up to a viewing platform and managed some great photos around the Bay of Islands. Then around the corner to a sheltered bay, where Jake got out some paddle boards and gave a lesson on how to use them. He also had snorkelling gear so everybody could experience something new. Jake was great fun, very helpful and managed to look after one couple who had paid no attention to the 'what to bring' advice. A top afternoon. Thanks Jake.
Written March 16, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

alwaysmoving_8
Christchurch, New Zealand68 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020 • Couples
Took the flight on a small plane - 7 seater with a passenger in the co pilot seat. Great overview of the topography, the coastline and islands. Our pilot, Jo, was informative. Landed on a grass strip, she hopped into a van and drove us around the north. Cape Reinga was windy and fascinating, the merge line between the Pacific and Tasman Sea is unique.

Also went sand boarding down the sand dunes, it was fun. Should have taken another run down the hill.

Word of Caution, if you are prone to motion/air sickness, you should be careful taking this trip. The plane does bounce around some. Coastline is impressive, Northland of New Zealand is impressive.
Written January 4, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for sharing your trip to Cape Reinga, we appreciate the excellent review! Cheers from the Salt Air team.
Written January 6, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Mark S
Raleigh, NC1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2023 • Couples
We had an amazing morning flight over The Bay of Islands. Visibility was great. Our pilot made for a smooth and wonderful journey. Not only did he provide an interesting narrative, but he answered all our questions and was a pleasure to talk to throughout. I would definitely recommend this flight!
Written March 18, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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