Minaret Burn
Minaret Burn is a 3,920 ha Roar block on the western shore of Lake Wanaka, inside the Hāwea Conservation Park / Lake Wanaka / Lower Matukituki Valley permit area. Elevations climb from 619 m near the lake edge to 2,296 m on the tops, with a median of 1,429 m and 72% of the country above the 1,200 m bushline.
Forty-two per cent of the block is alpine, so the upper basins are open snow tussock, rock and short herbfield, with bush only fringing the lower lake faces and gullies. Slopes lean north-east, putting the bulk of the country in morning sun and giving plenty of sidles to glass.
Game on the permit is red deer, tahr and chamois — the classic Otago alpine trio at the western edge of the lake country. The mix of bush edge for deer in the roar and high faces for tahr and chamois makes it a productive block for parties prepared to climb.
Open Minaret Burn on the interactive map
Boundary, huts, terrain, tracks and 1080 zones — all layers, one map.
Terrain & elevation
Based on a sample of 13,197 DEM points inside the block.
- Elevation range
- 619–2,296 m
- Median elevation
- 1,429 m
- Middle 50%
- 1,167–1,648 m
- Above bushline (1,200 m)
- 72%
- Alpine (1,500 m+)
- 42%
- Dominant aspect
- north-east-facing
619–2,296 m, predominantly alpine, leaning north-east-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 Minaret Burn, which is the practical way in given the bush-edge climb off the lake. Wild Animal Recovery Operations (WARO) are also permitted, so commercial helicopters may be working the upper faces at times.
There are no DOC huts or campsites recorded inside the block, so any party hunting here will be fly-camping or working off a base outside the boundary.
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.
A DOC hunting permit is required for the Hāwea Conservation Park / Lake Wanaka / Lower Matukituki Valley permit area. Minaret Burn is a Roar block with Permitted hunt status, so it is managed for the late-March to April rut with access controls on hunter numbers during the rut — check the current ballot or roar allocation before planning a trip.
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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