40A - Tuning Fork
Block 40A - Tuning Fork is a 3,696 ha balloted roar block in the South Westland - Weheka permit area. Elevations run from 6 m near sea level up to 1,705 m, with a median of 443 m.
The country is largely lowland and foothill with a tops fringe — around 12% of the block sits above the 1,200 m bushline, with a thin strip above 1,500 m. Expect heavy West Coast bush on the lower flats and faces grading into scrub and bluffy tops on the upper ridges. Slopes lean west on the dominant aspect.
The block carries red deer, tahr and chamois. Reds are the main quarry through the bush and at the bush edge; the upper ridges give an outside chance at tahr and chamois on the tops.
Open 40A - Tuning Fork on the interactive map
Boundary, huts, terrain, tracks and 1080 zones — all layers, one map.
Terrain & elevation
Based on a sample of 12,269 DEM points inside the block.
- Elevation range
- 6–1,705 m
- Median elevation
- 443 m
- Middle 50%
- 31–916 m
- Above bushline (1,200 m)
- 12%
- Alpine (1,500 m+)
- 1%
- Dominant aspect
- west-facing
6–1,705 m, a mix of bush and tops, leaning 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.
There are no DOC huts inside the block. Plan on fly camp or tent for any overnight trip.
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. Tuning Fork 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
- Pesticide (1080 or similar) has been laid in or near this block — check current dog and carcass restrictions before you hunt.
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