There’s something about seeing Lake Wānaka from above. The water stretching between the mountains, the folds in the landscape, and that feeling of being somewhere a little removed from everyday life.
If you’ve been saving photographs of a couple standing on a mountain ridge above the lake, you may already have Coromandel Peak on your wish list.
It’s a beautiful setting for an intimate wedding ceremony, a surprise proposal, or some time together for photographs after saying your vows elsewhere.
But before we get carried away with the view, there are a few things worth knowing about planning a Coromandel Peak elopement.
You’ll often see the names Coromandel Peak, Mt Roy and Roys Peak used together when looking for wedding inspiration around Wānaka. It can make things a little confusing when you’re trying to work out where those photographs were taken.
Coromandel Peak or Roys Peak: what’s the difference?
For helicopter wedding plans, Coromandel Peak is the landing location on the Mt Roy Range. Roys Peak is also home to the well-known hiking track and its much-photographed viewpoints.
When you enquire, send through a few of the photographs you love. That makes it much easier to check that we’re talking about the setting you have in mind.
You don’t have to build a big wedding around a mountain ceremony. You can keep things small, personal and unrushed.
What could your day look like?
Perhaps you get ready together at your accommodation, take a helicopter flight to Coromandel Peak, and exchange your vows with the lake below you. Afterwards, there’s time for a cuddle, a few happy tears and photographs before heading back down to celebrate.
Or perhaps you’d rather have your ceremony with family and friends at ground level, then slip away for mountain portraits while everyone settles into the celebrations.
Both are possible ways to include Coromandel Peak in your wedding plans. The helicopter operator can confirm the landing time and arrangements for your booking.
My starting point is always how you want the day to feel. Who do you want beside you? What would make you comfortable? Would you love a quiet morning together, or are you looking forward to getting ready with your favourite people?
We can build the photography around those things.
Do you have to hike to get there?
For a Coromandel Peak helicopter elopement, the flight is how you reach your ceremony or photography location. Wanaka Helicopters offers departures from Wānaka Airport and its Queenstown helipad, so we can explore the options around where you’re staying.
If you’ve been picturing hiking Roys Peak instead, that needs a different plan. DOC describes it as a challenging full-day hike, with a steep climb and more than 1,200 metres of elevation gain. It’s also a popular track, so you can expect to share it with other walkers.
The walking track closes from 1 October to 10 November for lambing. Check the current DOC information before making hiking plans, and confirm helicopter access separately with your operator.
Choosing a time for your photographs
I love golden light, but I also want you to enjoy the experience without spending the whole day worrying about whether the sky will look a certain way.
When we plan your photography, we’ll consider the season, your ceremony plans and the flight options available. If soft evening light is high on your wish list, mention that early so we can check what’s possible.
Sunrise and sunset flights need to be discussed with the operator. Availability and additional charges can depend on whether the flight falls outside normal operating hours.
There’s room for beautiful photographs in different light. You don’t need to recreate the exact conditions in someone else’s wedding gallery.
What happens if the weather changes?
This is something we’ll talk about while planning, so you know what the alternatives could look like before the day arrives.
Helicopter flights are weather dependent. Depending on the conditions and your booking terms, the operator may suggest a different landing location, a change of timing or rescheduling. The final flight decision belongs with the operator.
For an elopement, I’d also talk through a ground location you’d feel happy getting married at if flying isn’t possible.
Having another option already considered gives you one less decision to make on the day. You can still feel disappointed if the original plan changes, of course. But we’ll have somewhere to go from there.
What should you wear and bring?
Choose something you feel good in, and give yourself permission to be comfortable too.
For photographs, I’d suggest bringing:
A warm coat or extra layer for the pauses between photographs.
Comfortable shoes with good grip for moving around the landing area.
Your wedding shoes separately, if you’d like to change into them.
Only the small essentials agreed with your helicopter operator.
A dress with movement can be lovely in photographs, but you don’t need to choose your whole outfit around the wind. Being able to walk, cuddle and move comfortably matters too.
What if we’re awkward in front of the camera?
You’re allowed to arrive feeling a little nervous. Most couples do.
You don’t need to know how to pose or have a collection of things practised beforehand. I’ll give you gentle direction when it helps, then leave space for you to be together.
We might walk a little, pause for a hug, or take a moment to look out over the lake. You don’t have to perform just because there’s a camera nearby.
I’ll make room for photographs that show where you are, and the closer ones that bring you back to how it felt. Your partner’s hand in yours. A laugh halfway through a sentence. That first hug after your vows.
Those deserve a place in your gallery too.
Can we go to Coromandel Peak for a proposal or couples session?
You don’t need to be getting married to plan mountain photographs together.
A helicopter proposal is another option, with the location and timing arranged beforehand so you can concentrate on asking the question. If you’re already engaged, planning a pre-wedding session or visiting on your honeymoon, we can discuss a photography flight that fits your plans.
Tell me what you’re imagining and whether Coromandel Peak is the place you have your heart set on. We can check access, availability and the right flight arrangements before building the session around it.
Planning your Coromandel Peak elopement with me
You don’t need to arrive with every detail worked out.
I’m Em, a Queenstown-based photographer, and I help couples plan and photograph intimate weddings, elopements and proposals with gentle guidance and plenty of space to be themselves.
If you’re imagining your vows above Lake Wānaka, I’d love to hear about it. Tell me your date, who might be joining you and the parts you’re most excited about.
We’ll start there.