Triona + Edward
Family photos on the ground, then a private two-landing flight to Earnslaw Burn and Mt Crichton.
Landing Location — Queenstown & Glenorchy
Earnslaw Burn Weddings
A glacier valley north of Glenorchy where dozens of waterfalls fall from a hanging ice shelf — a ceremony inside the landscape rather than on top of it.
- Region
- Queenstown & Glenorchy
- Landscape
- Valleys, waterfalls & glaciers
- Wedding access with us
- Helicopter
- Flies from
- Queenstown
- Best season
- Spring to autumn
A basin of waterfalls beneath a hanging glacier
Earnslaw Burn sits beneath the glaciers of Mount Earnslaw / Pikirakatahi, north of Glenorchy at the head of Lake Wakatipu. The valley floor is a wide, boulder-strewn basin, and the walls around it carry meltwater off the ice shelf above in dozens of separate falls at once. On a high-flow day you can hear the whole valley.
It is the opposite experience to a summit landing. Instead of standing above everything with a horizon behind you, the cliffs close in and the scale runs vertically — which is why the photographs from here read as cinematic rather than scenic.
Why couples choose Earnslaw Burn
Nowhere else looks like it
Hanging ice, dark rock walls and moving water in the same frame. Few landings we fly from Queenstown put all three in one frame, and none of it is reachable on a day walk.
Scale you can feel
The cliffs run hundreds of metres above the ceremony spot. Wide shots place you as two small figures in a working glacial valley, which is exactly what most couples are picturing when they say adventurous.
It pairs perfectly
Because the valley is enclosed, most couples fly it as one of two landings — Earnslaw Burn for the drama, then a ridgeline or lake terrace for open light and long views.
How an Earnslaw Burn day runs
- 01
Meet at the Queenstown heliport
You get ready wherever you are staying and meet us at the heliport for the safety briefing about half an hour before the lift.
- 02
The flight up the lake
North over Lake Wakatipu, past Glenorchy and into the Rees valley. The basin only opens up in the last minute of the flight.
- 03
Landing on the valley floor
The pilot sets down on open ground within a short walk of the ceremony spot, then lifts out or stands by depending on the plan for the day.
- 04
Ceremony and portraits
Your celebrant flies with you. Vows against the falls, then portraits through the boulder field and along the stream while the light moves down the walls.
- 05
A second, contrasting landing
Most Earnslaw Burn days finish somewhere open — Mt Crichton above Glenorchy or a Wakatipu ridgeline — so the gallery carries both drama and long views.
Earnslaw Burn through the seasons
The valley changes more between seasons than any ridgeline we fly, because the waterfalls are driven by melt.
Spring
Peak melt and the strongest waterfall flow of the year, with snow still sitting on the shelf above. The most photogenic season, and the one we recommend first.
Summer
Long days, the latest golden hour and the warmest valley floor. Flow eases back but the basin stays green and the light lingers late on the walls.
Autumn
The most settled air of the year, which matters in an enclosed valley. Clear, still mornings and the highest chance the day runs exactly as planned.
Winter
Snow on the valley floor and ice on the falls when it is clear, but the basin holds cloud. Flyable, with a genuine chance of moving to an alternative site.
What to pair it with
Earnslaw Burn is almost always flown as part of a multi-landing day. These are the combinations that work best from a Queenstown base.
Mt Crichton
Sheltered clearings and beech forest edges overlooking Glenorchy — the reliable partner when the tops are windy, and the standard backup if the valley closes in.
The Remarkables
Snowfields and sharp rock minutes from town. Pairs the enclosed valley with a high, exposed summit for maximum contrast in one day.
Cecil Peak & Walter Peak
Tussock shoulders straight across Lake Wakatipu, with long lake views back over Queenstown for the open, golden end to the day.
Real weddings flown at Earnslaw Burn
Bryne + Jade
Six landings across two days, finishing in the Earnslaw Burn valley.
Earnslaw Burn questions
Earnslaw Burn is a glacial valley north of Glenorchy, well beyond the end of the road and reached on foot only by a multi-day tramping track. It sits directly beneath the hanging glaciers of Mount Earnslaw / Pikirakatahi.
DOC maintains the Earnslaw Burn Track, so the valley can be walked in as a multi-day tramp, but that is not a realistic option in wedding clothes. Every elopement we run there arrives by helicopter and lands on the valley floor within walking distance of the ceremony spot.
It is a scenic flight north over Lake Wakatipu and Glenorchy — longer than the Remarkables, shorter than Fiordland. Most couples treat the transfer as part of the experience rather than travel time.
You are inside the landscape rather than on top of it. Cliffs rise on three sides and dozens of waterfalls pour off the glacier shelf above you, so the scale reads vertically in photographs instead of as a distant horizon.
Spring and early summer give the strongest waterfall flow as the snow melts. Autumn brings the most settled air and clear valley light. Winter is possible but the basin holds cloud, so it is the site most likely to move on the day.
More than most. The valley is enclosed and needs a workable cloud base to fly into safely. We always plan a paired alternative — usually Mt Crichton or a Wakatipu ridgeline — and make the call with the pilot on the morning.
Related planning pages
Earnslaw Burn flies from a Queenstown base — here is the rest of the picture.
Queenstown elopements
Flight times, landing areas and how a Queenstown-based day actually runs.
Landing locations
Every peak, glacier and valley we can land on, grouped by landscape and region.
Heli elopement packages
Compare flight times, landings and inclusions side by side.
Fly the waterfall valley on your date
Tell us the date you have in mind and we will confirm whether Earnslaw Burn suits the season, the conditions and the shape of your day.