Motutara Scenic Reserve
Motutara Scenic Reserve is a 535 ha block in the Manawatu-Wanganui region, taken out under the Taumarunui Reserves permit area, and classed as a restricted hunting area (RHA). Elevations run from about 185 m up to 551 m, with a median around 346 m, so this is lowland to mid-altitude bush country well below the bushline.
The block has an east-and-south-east lean, with about a fifth of the country facing east and useful shares also dropping south, south-east and west. Northerly aspects are limited. That gives a workable spread of warm and shaded sidles depending on the wind.
Game on the permit includes red deer, wild goat and wild pig. It is bush-and-spurs hunting in the back King Country.
Open Motutara Scenic Reserve on the interactive map
Boundary, huts, terrain, tracks and 1080 zones — all layers, one map.
Terrain & elevation
Based on a sample of 1,496 DEM points inside the block.
- Elevation range
- 185–551 m
- Median elevation
- 346 m
- Middle 50%
- 280–411 m
- Above bushline (1,200 m)
- 0%
- Alpine (1,500 m+)
- 0%
- Dominant aspect
- east-facing
185–551 m, lowland / foothill country, leaning east-facing.
What you can hunt here
Access & getting there
There are no huts or formal campsites inside the block, so plan to work in on foot and either day-trip or fly-camp from a vehicle base.
Air access by helicopter is not permitted here, and the block is not flagged for wild animal recovery operations (WARO). It is a quieter piece of Taumarunui country without commercial helicopter activity.
Permits & rules
You need a DOC hunting permit to hunt this block. It is classed as a RHA block in the Taumarunui Reserves permit area, with a hunting status of Permitted.
Motutara is an RHA block under the Taumarunui Reserves permit area. Despite the RHA classification it is listed as hunting permitted, but access is generally by allocation — confirm the current process with DOC, including any seasonal or party-size limits, 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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