Get to know us better
We are a New Zealand family owned and operated company based in the beautiful town of Kaikoura in the South Island of New Zealand. Scroll down to meet the pilots and reservations staff!
We are a New Zealand family owned and operated company based in the beautiful town of Kaikoura in the South Island of New Zealand. Scroll down to meet the pilots and reservations staff!
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, which fostered his curiosity with helicopters when they were used for various tasks on the farm. He then started his flying career in 2004 in Kaikoura taking people on whale watching tours by helicopter, in 2007 Daniel then went on to further his career by flying extensively overseas.
During this time Daniel has flown in many varied roles from Mineral Exploration, Fire Fighting, and Remote Telecommunications support in Canada and Indonesia right through 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 5500 helicopter flying hours and when the opportunity arose to return home and start a whale watching business in Kaikoura with his family, he jumped at the opportunity to share his passion and knowledge for the local area and wildlife.
Pilot
Owner & Operator
Monique is a local Marlborough girl who was brought up just up the road in Blenheim, the heart of New Zealand’s famous wine region. She brings a wealth of knowledge to South Pacific Whale Watch through her years spent in the customer service industry while owning her own successful beauty clinic for the past 12 years.
Monique heads our Sales, Marketing and Administration team, hence she will be your first point of contact when getting in contact regarding your unique whale watching experiences with us.
When not working front of house, Monique is busy keeping things running smoothly at home and helping bring up their two young boys Tommy and Johnno.
Reservations and Marketing
With nearly a decade of experience working in wildlife tourism, Fiona can speak about the whales and wildlife until she is blue in the face! Having joined the reservations team last September, she has recently taken on the marketing role for both Wings over Whales and South Pacific Helicopters. Outside of the office Fiona loves to pursue her passion for wildlife photography and you can guarantee to find her in, on or above the ocean!
Reservations and accounts
Gemma joined the South Pacific Helicopters team as a Sales & Administration
Consultant in early 2019. Having spent time backpacking and photographing many
beautiful places around the world, she enjoys giving fellow travellers the opportunity to
witness the diverse marine life and unique landscape that she’s lucky enough to call
home. Gemma likes to spend her days off boating, fishing and relaxing at the family
bach ‘down the Sounds’.
Ground Crew