Aorangi Forest Park
Aorangi Forest Park is a 19,315 ha block of bush hill country at the southern tip of the North Island, in the Wairarapa coastal ranges. Elevations run from near sea level at -1 m up to 977 m, with the median ground around 437 m, so the park sits in lowland to mid-altitude country — all below the bushline.
Aspect leans north-west, with strong shares also on west, south-east and south faces. Country here is classic Wairarapa bush — steep spurs, stream-cut faces and broken sidles wrapping the Aorangi range, with the upper ridges still bush-clad rather than open tops.
Game on the permit includes red deer, fallow deer, wild goat and wild pig. With four species and a useful size, Aorangi works well for hunters wanting genuine bush country within day-driving reach of Wellington.
Open Aorangi Forest Park on the interactive map
Boundary, huts, terrain, tracks and 1080 zones — all layers, one map.
Terrain & elevation
Based on a sample of 58,930 DEM points inside the block.
- Elevation range
- -1–977 m
- Median elevation
- 437 m
- Middle 50%
- 320–564 m
- Above bushline (1,200 m)
- 0%
- Alpine (1,500 m+)
- 0%
- Dominant aspect
- north-west-facing
-1–977 m, lowland / foothill country, leaning north-west-facing.
What you can hunt here
Access & getting there
Aorangi has a substantial hut network for a block this size — Kawakawa Hut, Washpool Hut, Mangatoetoe Hut, Sutherlands Hut, Pararaki Hut and Tauanui Hut all sit inside or near the park, giving a real range of trip options. There are no formal campsites recorded.
The park is open to air access, so a helicopter drop is a practical option for hunters wanting to start deep in the range. WARO operations are not flagged here, so commercial helicopters are not an active consideration.
Huts & campsites
Heating, Mattresses, Toilets - non-flush, Water from tap - not treated, boil before use, Water supply
Heating, Mattresses, Toilets - non-flush, Water from stream, Water supply
Heating, Mattresses, Toilets - non-flush, Water from tap - not treated, boil before use, Water supply
Heating, Mattresses, Toilets - non-flush, Water from tap - not treated, boil before use, Water supply
Heating, Mattresses, Toilets - non-flush, Water from stream, Water supply
Heating, Mattresses, Toilets - non-flush, Water from stream, Water supply
Heating, Mattresses, Toilets - non-flush, Water from tap - not treated, boil before use, Water supply
Heating, Mattresses, Toilets - non-flush, Water from stream, Water supply
Heating, Mattresses, Toilets - non-flush, Water from tap - not treated, boil before use, Water supply
Heating, Mattresses, Toilets - non-flush, Water from tap - not treated, boil before use, Water supply
Permits & rules
You need a DOC hunting permit to hunt this block. It is classed as a Ordinary block in the Aorangi Forest Park permit area, with a hunting status of Permitted.
This block sits within a DOC air-access zone — fly-in hunting and helicopter drop-offs may be permitted.
A DOC hunting permit is required for Aorangi Forest Park. The park sits under its own Aorangi Forest Park permit area and is classed as an Ordinary block with hunting permitted year-round.
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.
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