Daniel Stevenson

Owner & Pilot

Daniel, along with his wife Monique, is the owner of South Pacific Helicopters and its subsidiary Wings Over Whales.

Daniel was born and bred on a large farm in southern New Zealand. His curiosity for helicopters was fostered early on in is life as the aircrafts were commonly used for various tasks on the farm. He started his flying career 2004 in Kaikōura, specialising on tourism whale watching tours by helicopter. In 2007, Daniel then flew the nest to go on to further his career by flying extensively overseas.

During this time, Daniel flew in varied roles from mineral exploration, firefighting, and remote telecommunications support in Canada and Indonesia to humanitarian aid relief and supporting recovery of WW2 aircraft wrecks in the jungles of Papua New Guinea. During his flying career thus far, Daniel has amassed over 7500 helicopter flying hours.

When the opportunity arose to return home and start a whale watching business in Kaikōura with his family, he jumped at the opportunity to share his passion and knowledge for the local area and wildlife with as many people as possible.

When not up in the air, Daniel loves to spend his time with his wife and two sons Tommy and Johnno.