15 - Spoon River
Block 15 - Spoon River is a 3,281 ha balloted roar block in the South Westland - Weheka permit area, in the Jackson Bay - Gorge River country. Elevations run from sea level up to 1,030 m, with a median of 363 m.
This is lowland and foothill country — none of the block sits above the bushline. Expect heavy West Coast bush, river flats and bluffy spurs in a near-coastal setting. Slopes lean north-west on the dominant aspect, giving warmer afternoon faces.
The block carries red deer and tahr. Reds are the realistic recreational quarry through the timber here; tahr are listed for the wider permit area but the country sits below their usual range on this block.
Open 15 - Spoon River on the interactive map
Boundary, huts, terrain, tracks and 1080 zones — all layers, one map.
Terrain & elevation
Based on a sample of 10,967 DEM points inside the block.
- Elevation range
- -1–1,030 m
- Median elevation
- 363 m
- Middle 50%
- 223–476 m
- Above bushline (1,200 m)
- 0%
- Alpine (1,500 m+)
- 0%
- Dominant aspect
- north-west-facing
-1–1,030 m, foothill country with low tops, leaning north-west-facing.
What you can hunt here
This is a balloted roar block — the red deer roar peaks from late March into April, and competition for the block is highest then.
Access & getting there
Air access is not permitted on this block, so hunting parties will need to walk in from the surrounding country. WARO is permitted, so commercial helicopters may still be working alongside ground-based hunters.
Spoon / Morgans Hut sits in the area and is non-bookable, with mattresses, a non-flush toilet and stream water. It gives walk-in parties a fixed base in the catchment.
Huts & campsites
Mattresses, Toilets - non-flush, Water from stream, Water supply
Mattresses, Toilets - non-flush, Water from stream, Water supply
Permits & rules
You need a DOC hunting permit to hunt this block. It is classed as a Balloted Roar block block in the South Westland - Weheka permit area, with a hunting status of Permitted.
Commercial wild-animal recovery (WARO) operates over this area — expect helicopter activity and pressured game.
A DOC hunting permit is required. Spoon River is a Balloted Roar block — access during the roar is allocated through DOC's South Westland ballot, with successful applicants drawing exclusive use of the block for a defined period. Outside the balloted roar window, check current DOC rules for the permit area.
1080 & pesticide status
No current, planned or proposed pesticide operations intersect this block in our data. Always confirm with DOC before taking a dog in.
Get roar & 1080 alerts for the areas you hunt
We'll email you when pesticide operations, ballot dates or access conditions change for West Coast.
Sign up →