Kinloch Kowhai Bush
Kinloch Kowhai Bush is a 1,341-hectare public hunting block in Otago, within the Cardrona / Glenorchy / Shotover permit area. Elevations run from about 322 m up to 1477 m with a median around 738 m, putting most of the ground in rolling country below the bushline.
The block stays below the bushline throughout, so hunting is in bush, regenerating scrub or open faces rather than alpine tops. Slopes lean east-facing, which shapes where sun, snow and feeding animals concentrate through the day.
Recorded game on the block includes red deer, fallow deer and chamois. Reds work the bush and lower sidles while chamois sit higher on the open faces and tops. It is in the steep glaciated country around the head of Lake Wakatipu and the Cardrona / Shotover divide.
Open Kinloch Kowhai Bush on the interactive map
Boundary, huts, terrain, tracks and 1080 zones — all layers, one map.
Terrain & elevation
Based on a sample of 4,549 DEM points inside the block.
- Elevation range
- 322–1,477 m
- Median elevation
- 738 m
- Middle 50%
- 546–915 m
- Above bushline (1,200 m)
- 3%
- Alpine (1,500 m+)
- 0%
- Dominant aspect
- east-facing
322–1,477 m, foothill country with low tops, leaning east-facing.
What you can hunt here
Access & getting there
Helicopter access is permitted on the block, useful where ground travel through bush or rough country would otherwise be slow. WARO is not permitted on the block, so commercial helicopter shooting is not a factor.
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 RHA block in the Cardrona/Glenorchy/Shotover 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.
Kinloch Kowhai Bush is a Recreational Hunting Area (RHA) with a Permitted hunt status. A DOC hunting permit is required through the standard online system, but no ballot applies. RHA permits typically come with specific conditions on dogs, party size or season, so read them carefully.
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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