Life of Wanaka helicopter pilot Nick Wallis to be celebrated in same place as brother Matt

Wednesday, 24 October 2018

A helicopter crash in Wānaka claimed the lives of three people, including two DOC workers and pilot Nick Wallis, whose brother died in a helicopter crash in July. (First published October 2018)

The life of Wanaka helicopter pilot Nick Wallis will be celebrated in the same place as his brother Matt, who died three months before.

The pair were the youngest of four brothers in Wanaka's well-known Wallis family and were both helicopter pilots in the family's aviation and tourism businesses.

Matt died in July when his helicopter plunged into Lake Wanaka during a short solo flight.

Family and friends of Wanaka helicopter pilot Nick Wallis will celebrate his life on Saturday.

Nick died last week with Department of Conservation workers Paul Hondelink and Scott Theobald, when the helicopter he was piloting crashed to the ground shortly after take off from Wanaka Airport.

**READ MORE:

Matthew Wallis was farewelled three months ago, after his helicopter crashed in Lake Wanaka.

* Brother of Wanaka helicopter crash victim says it 'could have been any of us'

* Helicopter plummeted 300m, creating a metre-deep hole in the ground

Nick Wallis, Paul Hondelink and Scott Theobald were killed when their helicopter crashed near Wanaka Airport.

Matt Wallis was taken for one final flight after his funeral at Wanaka Airport.

* Missing helicopter pilot's brother tells of desperate search

* Missing Wanaka pilot presumed dead as search enters recovery phase**

At Matt's funeral, Nick said he would miss his older brother 'terribly'.

'Being in business as brothers is not always as easy as it may appear from the outside. We of course had our challenges, but Matt you were a role model to me and your ability to split business and pleasure.

'We did not always agree but the four of us knew we had each other's backs covered … It physically hurts to know your life has been cut short.'

The family has announced that Nick's funeral will be held at 2pm on Saturday at the family-owned Alpine Helicopters hangar, at Wanaka Airport.

Funeral arrangements are yet to be finalised for Hondelink and Theobald.