Methven-Mt Hutt Scenic Hot Air Balloon Flight
Overview
Available languages
Mobile ticket
Our Pilots will take you up to 9500 ft above the patchwork Canterbury Plains with spectacular Panoramic views west to the Mountains and east to the Pacific Ocean.
Launching from the famous foothills of Mt Hutt. The flight can only be described as exhilarating, gliding above the treetops and rising up to watch as the Canterbury Plains roll out in front of you. Then looking west you will see the majestic snow caped Southern Alps.
Additional Info
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
Methven
There can be few finer places to take a balloon flight than New Zealand's Canterbury Plains. We take off close to the foothills of Mt. Hutt, where the mountains provide excellent shelter from the prevailing North Westerly winds. We have unlimited airspace restrictions upto 9,500 ft which gives us fantastic views across the southern alps as far away as Mt. Cook and Mt. Aspiring and also looking East across the patchwork landscape of the plains to the Pacific coast. Methven is a great place to spend a few days with many other attractions including mountain walks and the Lord of the Rings site at Mt. Sunday.
Canterbury Region
We meet in the center of Methven where there is ample parking and conveniences. After introductions, we will travel in our 4X4 chase vehicle to the best launch site for the given wind direction on the day (approx. 20 mins). We will then have a safety briefing and inflate the balloons. After take-off we usually climb to a good altitude for seeing the panoramic views and take pictures (we also have a camera attached to the balloon for inflight photographs). After which we descend to a lower altitude for the second half of the flight where you will be able to see things on the ground better. After landing we will enjoy a celebration drink in the landing field and then travel back to Methven in the chase vehicle, which will have been following us throughout the flight.
What‘s Included
Photos will be posted on Facebook or on request from us [email protected]
To finish we will be having a celebratory glass of Sparkling wine or fruit juice
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Methven-Mt Hutt Scenic Hot Air Balloon Flight
Reviews
79 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Only small mountainwatch but quite a lot of farmwatch
Departure61133831334,,Feb 22, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
3.00Generally the team ist very friendly and it makes fun to both prepare the balloon and after the ride packing it up again with the other participants. Start and landing were both very smooth, ride took about one hour. Went up to 8000 feet and had stunning views of Mt Cook and other very high snow covered mountains and to the east Coast. Nevertheless it was a little bit disappointing to me that we did not stay very long on that elevation even though it was to my surprise neither windy nor cold up there. Instead in the second half we were riding in quite a low elevation across the different farms watching the cows and so on which to me was rather boring. Recommendable for those who want to have a closer look at farms, I personally would not do this again at this location.
Mountains in the clouds
wendydunn7,,Feb 12, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00Unfortunately the weather didn’t behave well with low cloud postponing our experience until 9:45. We went through cloud and could view the tops of the mountains in a beautiful setting which was a bonus of the circumstances. We both really enjoyed our flight over the fields and rivers and highly recommend this experience- Wendy and Rex
Great family trip
Sunshine50558673345,,Feb 7, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Absolutely stunning views, very friendly and efficient team, 10/10 would recommend this trip if you're after something a bit different
Well worth doing
breakingout2016,,Jan 25, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Fantastic way to spend a Sunday morning. Snow on the Southern Alps in the background, farm and river views and other mountains too. A very skilled team of two organised our flight and safely delivered us back. Fresh muffins and champers rounded off this informative and fun morning. Will be buying this as a gift for my other family members
Awesome
OrangesLemons,,Jan 16, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00What a wonderful experience. Graham and his team were professional and very knowledgeable which added to the amazing experience. We had a perfect day, felt 100% safe. Felt part of the team as we assisted in the setup. Their instructions were very clear which added to the confidence in the company. Would definitely recommend this company and experience. Ended the adventure with a glass of champagne. A perfect trip.
Awesome Experience
Tara W,,Jan 15, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00What a wonderful day. Graham and his team were very professional and informative which added to the experience. Definitely would recommend this. It was lovely to be involved with the hands on aspect of the experience which made us feel part of a great team.
Fantastic experience! 100% recommend
K5747BFphilipc,,Jan 8, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Great experience this morning flying over Methven. Great views all the way to Mt Cook, would definitely recommend to go on this. The guys were all great and looked after us and ended up with a glass of bubbly!
Weather Didn’t Cooperate, Service Was Excellent
Chathura T,,Jan 1, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00We were planning to do the hot air balloon trip on 30th December, but unfortunately the weather didn’t cooperate and we had to cancel. We tried again the next day, but the weather was still not on our side. So we had to cancel the tour. However, the cancellation and rescheduling process was seamless and easy. They let us know a day in advance, which helped us heaps with planning our time. We will definitely go again.
A low impact experience that delivered beyond expectations
jodellel2024,,Dec 14, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Awesome hot air balloon experience that exceeded expectations. Not only was the information provided accurate but the entire outing was calm, professional and delivered what was advertised. At no time did I feel unsafe or was left wondering what was going on. Thanks for a great outing.. . Hoping i got some awesome photos too 👏
Best experience and memories
romankS9386RY,,Dec 12, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We just want to share thank you so much to our guide it was a great experienced. And most especially a best day ever proposing my partner and celebrate her birthday with our little man.
From NZ$380.00
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Operated by Adventure Balloons NZ