Ben Dhu Conservation Area
Ben Dhu Conservation Area is a small 264 ha public hunting block in Canterbury, sitting between 793 m at the base and 1,484 m on its high points, with a median elevation of about 1,175 m.
The block offers a mix of bush and tops — roughly 44% of the ground sits above the 1,200 m bushline, but none of it pushes into true alpine country above 1,500 m. Slopes lean east, which gives sunny morning faces for glassing and warmer country than the cold western aspects.
The species list is red deer, tahr and chamois. It's a compact piece of ground, well suited to a focused day or short trip rather than a long expedition.
Open Ben Dhu Conservation Area on the interactive map
Boundary, huts, terrain, tracks and 1080 zones — all layers, one map.
Terrain & elevation
Based on a sample of 908 DEM points inside the block.
- Elevation range
- 793–1,484 m
- Median elevation
- 1,175 m
- Middle 50%
- 1,052–1,291 m
- Above bushline (1,200 m)
- 44%
- Alpine (1,500 m+)
- 0%
- Dominant aspect
- east-facing
793–1,484 m, mostly above the bushline, leaning east-facing.
What you can hunt here
Access & getting there
Air access is permitted on Ben Dhu, which is useful given the block's elevation range and small footprint — a charter drop can place hunters on the tops quickly. WARO is not permitted, so commercial helicopter recovery operators won't be working the block.
There are no huts or campsites inside Ben Dhu Conservation Area. Parties will need to fly camp, carry a tent or hunt the block as a day trip from accommodation nearby.
Permits & rules
You need a DOC hunting permit to hunt this block. It is classed as a Ordinary block in the Canterbury 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 to hunt Ben Dhu Conservation Area. It's an Ordinary block with a Permitted status, so permits are issued through the standard Canterbury permit system rather than a ballot. Permits are free but must be carried while hunting.
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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