Heli-fishing at Cedar Lodge
The South Island of New Zealand is glacier-carved, pin-drop quiet, and home to some of the largest wild brown trout on earth. Each morning at Cedar Lodge, guests walk 100 meters to the helipad and fly by helicopter into remote river valleys in Mount Aspiring National Park, landing on gin-clear water that rarely sees anglers. Guides with decades of combined experience run a two-angler-per-guide ratio, coaching guests on sight fishing techniques across rivers ranging from tight mountain creeks to wide braided flats. Flights range from 10 to 40 minutes depending on where the fish are. Back at the lodge, Kiwi chefs prepare meals from local ingredients paired with New Zealand wines, and four en suite rooms accommodate up to eight guests on five acres on the banks of the Makarora River. For non-fishers, heli-hiking, jet boating, and winery tours are available. It has been named one of the top 50 places to fly-fish before you die. The waitlist agrees.
