Hinahina Cove
Hinahina Cove is a 506-hectare public hunting block in Otago, in the Catlins permit area in southern Otago. Elevations run from about 5 m up to 336 m with a median around 210 m, putting most of the ground in lowland and foothill country.
This is low country well under the bushline — bush, scrub and pasture-edge rather than open tops. Slopes lean south-east-facing, which influences where animals feed and bed through the day.
Recorded game on the block includes red deer and wild pig. The Catlins are coastal podocarp-broadleaf bush country, very different from the high alpine blocks further inland.
Open Hinahina Cove on the interactive map
Boundary, huts, terrain, tracks and 1080 zones — all layers, one map.
Terrain & elevation
Based on a sample of 1,821 DEM points inside the block.
- Elevation range
- 5–336 m
- Median elevation
- 210 m
- Middle 50%
- 177–257 m
- Above bushline (1,200 m)
- 0%
- Alpine (1,500 m+)
- 0%
- Dominant aspect
- south-east-facing
5–336 m, lowland / foothill country, leaning south-east-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
Helicopter and fixed-wing access is permitted on the block, though for low country like this most hunters drive in and walk from a vehicle. Wild Animal Recovery Operations (WARO) is also permitted, meaning commercial helicopters may be working the same country at times — worth factoring into trip timing.
There are no DOC huts or campsites recorded inside the block, so hunters need to base themselves outside the boundary or carry a fly or tent.
Permits & rules
You need a DOC hunting permit to hunt this block. It is classed as a Balloted Roar block block in the Catlins permit area, with a hunting status of Permitted.
Commercial wild-animal recovery (WARO) operates over this area — expect helicopter activity and pressured game.
This block sits within a DOC air-access zone — fly-in hunting and helicopter drop-offs may be permitted.
Hinahina Cove is a Balloted Roar block, meaning access during the roar window is allocated by ballot. A DOC hunting permit is required for the Catlins permit area, and outside the balloted period normal ordinary permit rules apply where the block is open.
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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