Lower Dingle
Lower Dingle is a 5,872-hectare public hunting block in Otago, within the Hāwea Conservation Park / Lake Wanaka / Lower Matukituki permit area. Elevations run from about 440 m up to 1896 m with a median around 1059 m, putting most of the ground in a mix of bush and tops.
Around 35% of the block pushes above the 1,200 m bushline, giving hunters a useful mix of beech or scrub edges and open tops to glass. Slopes lean west-facing, which shapes where sun, snow and feeding animals concentrate through the day.
Recorded game on the block includes red deer, tahr and chamois. That gives hunters three quarry species — bush-edge and lower faces for reds, the higher tops and rocky basins for tahr and chamois. It sits in the lakes-and-mountains country west of Lake Hāwea and Lake Wānaka where bush bottoms grade up into open tops.
Open Lower Dingle on the interactive map
Boundary, huts, terrain, tracks and 1080 zones — all layers, one map.
Terrain & elevation
Based on a sample of 19,687 DEM points inside the block.
- Elevation range
- 440–1,896 m
- Median elevation
- 1,059 m
- Middle 50%
- 833–1,306 m
- Above bushline (1,200 m)
- 35%
- Alpine (1,500 m+)
- 11%
- Dominant aspect
- west-facing
440–1,896 m, a mix of bush and tops, leaning west-facing.
What you can hunt here
This is a roar — the red deer roar peaks from late March into April, and competition for the block is highest then.
Access & getting there
Helicopter access is permitted on the block, useful where ground travel through bush or rough country would otherwise be slow. Wild Animal Recovery Operations (WARO) is also permitted, meaning commercial helicopters may be working the same country at times — worth factoring into trip timing.
One DOC hut sits within the block: Bush Hut in Hāwea Conservation Park, with heating, mattresses, a non-flush toilet and untreated tap water (boil before use). It is not bookable — first-come, first-served.
Huts & campsites
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 Roar block in the Hawea Conservation Park/Lake Wanaka/Lower Matukituki Valley 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.
Lower Dingle is classified as a Roar block under the Hawea Conservation Park/Lake Wanaka/Lower Matukituki Valley permit area, with a Permitted hunt status. A DOC hunting permit is required but no ballot applies — apply through the standard online system. Expect more pressure through the roar window in late March and April.
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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