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Richard Rayward started Air Safaris in 1970, flying out of Mesopotamia Station in the Rangitata Valley. For the first three years he concentrated on flying in guests for hunting, fishing and tramping from his small airplane.

As the demand for their flights grew, mainly from coach tours, they were able to invest in more aircrafts. Richard became aware of the environmental impacts on Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park so decided on larger aircrafts that carried more passengers, rather than a lot of small airplanes buzzing around the sky. Soon Richard realised that they could get people out skiing if they fitted skis to their planes, which grew their winter business.

Richard’s son Tim grew up surrounded by the planes and became very interested in flying. Although his parents encouraged him to explore other directions, he was so passionate about Air Safaris and flying that he now runs the business. His son Isaac is also interested in the business and beginning to learn to fly. It is a real family business, extremely knowledgeable and passionate about the area.

Air Safaris have been at the forefront of bringing in new aircrafts as they become available. Tim also saw a gap in the market, and added a helicopter element to their business, learning how to fly these. They now have helicopter flights available for their guests, as well as being available to take trampers and hunters into remote locations where planes can’t land.

Air Safaris have partnered with Ruralco since 2020. “Everyone at Ruralco is extremely easy and friendly to deal with, providing great support and regular news updates,” says Richard. “We enjoy dealing with their clients from rural backgrounds who find our flights a great experience, especially the high country farming areas we cover around Lake Tekapo. We were very impressed with how Ruralco worked and their customer base suited our products.”