Tandem skydiving near Aoraki/Mount Cook

5 min read Updated October 2026 Compare all tours

Skydive Mt Cook is a brand of Mount Cook Ski Planes and Helicopters, the company behind several of the scenic flights from Mount Cook Airport. The jump begins with a scenic flight of about 20 minutes on the way up to altitude. Then comes the freefall, followed by about five minutes under the parachute before you land.

From the time you arrive, allow two to three hours; the operator itself says about three. That covers check-in, the safety briefing, the flight and the landing. Reviewers mention a clear briefing and equipment that was checked three times before they boarded.

Where you jump from

The name suggests the village, but the jump does not start there. Skydive Mt Cook operates from Pukaki Airport on State Highway 8, just outside Twizel, even where a tour listing gives Aoraki/Mount Cook Village as the location. Twizel lies about 65 kilometres from the village, or around 50 minutes by car, so if you are staying up the valley, plan the drive in and keep it in mind if the jump is called off for weather.

Lake Pukaki takes its milky turquoise colour from fine glacial rock flour held in the water. One reviewer wrote that her instructor named the mountains and lakes from the plane and again under the canopy, and let her steer the parachute for a while.

Choosing the height

The operator offers tandem jumps from 10,000, 13,000 and 16,500 feet. From the top height the freefall lasts up to 70 seconds, the longest you can get here. The 10,000-foot jump is sold as a separate listing with 20 seconds or more of freefall. It is shorter overall, about two hours, and lists a minimum age of 7.

Higher does not change the parachute ride, which stays at around five minutes. It changes how long you fall. If this is your first jump and the idea of more than a minute in freefall worries you, the lower height is a reasonable start.

Age, weight and health

Skydive Mt Cook encourages people of all ages to take part, but anyone under 18 needs consent from a parent or guardian, and children under 12 are assessed individually. Weight is the stricter limit. The operator sets a minimum of 35 kg and a standard limit of 100 kg. Between 100 and 115 kg you are accepted only after a check and pay a surcharge, and above that you cannot jump. Give your real weight at booking.

Photos and video cost extra and are booked as a package. Opinions on the package differ; one guest found it poor value for what she got. If you want pictures, ask on the day what is included before you pay.

Weather and cancellations

Wind and cloud decide whether the plane goes up. Lake Tekapo, also in the Mackenzie Basin, gets about 535 mm of rain a year and often ranks among the five sunniest places in the country, while Mount Cook Village gets around eight times as much. Even so, reviews mention jumps cancelled for wind or cloud, in one case after a two-hour drive and in another for fog, with the operator calling to move the booking to another day.

The main listing can be cancelled free of charge up to 24 hours before. Book the jump early in your stay and keep a spare day behind it, and check your phone on the way in case the operator calls.

When to go

Reviews come from summer and winter months alike. In summer the days are long: on 21 December the sun rises at 05:54 in the village and sets at 21:21. In winter the window shrinks to roughly 08:14 to 17:09, and the ground gets very cold; Mount Cook Airport was the coldest place in New Zealand on 6 August 2026 at minus 10 degrees.

Fitting the jump into your trip

With the drop zone on the Twizel side, the jump fits well into a day spent along Lake Pukaki. The lake stores water for the Waitaki hydroelectric scheme, so its level rises and falls with demand, and Peters Lookout on its shore is one of the classic places to photograph Aoraki across the water. On State Highway 8 between Tekapo and Twizel, the Pūkaki Information Centre has the shop of Mt Cook Alpine Salmon, where the Tekapo day shuttle also stops. In the evening you could stay in Twizel for a 75-minute stargazing tour with an astronomer, since the whole basin lies inside a dark sky reserve.

From the village, keep the jump away from the day you drive out or catch a bus. A cancellation for wind is easier to absorb when you can try again the next morning, and the drive alone takes close to an hour each way. UV is strong in New Zealand from September to April and all year in the mountains, so bring sunglasses and sunscreen for the waiting time on the ground.

If you would rather stay in the plane

If the jump is not for you, a scenic flight with a landing on the Tasman Glacier gives the same mountain views from much closer, and the combination of ski plane and helicopter lands on the upper glacier for 10 to 15 minutes. For the lake below the drop zone, see our page on Lake Pukaki.