Northern Pisa Conservation Area
Northern Pisa Conservation Area is a 5,567 ha Roar block on the Pisa Range, in the Central Otago and The Remarkables permit area. Elevations climb from 669 m on the lower faces to 1,963 m on the tops, with a median of 1,371 m and 87% of the country above the 1,200 m bushline.
This is predominantly tops country — Pisa Range is a long high-altitude tussock plateau with broad open faces and shallow basins. A third of the block (33%) sits in true alpine ground. Slopes lean south-east, so the morning sun catches the country cleanly for early glassing.
Game on the permit is red deer, fallow deer, chamois, wild goat and wild pig. The Pisa is best known for its open tussock chamois ground, with deer and fallow on the lower faces and bush edges.
Open Northern Pisa Conservation Area on the interactive map
Boundary, huts, terrain, tracks and 1080 zones — all layers, one map.
Terrain & elevation
Based on a sample of 18,939 DEM points inside the block.
- Elevation range
- 669–1,963 m
- Median elevation
- 1,371 m
- Middle 50%
- 1,282–1,567 m
- Above bushline (1,200 m)
- 87%
- Alpine (1,500 m+)
- 33%
- Dominant aspect
- south-east-facing
669–1,963 m, mostly above the bushline, leaning south-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 the Northern Pisa, and Wild Animal Recovery Operations (WARO) are also permitted — commercial operators may be working the open tops at times.
There are no DOC huts or campsites recorded inside the block, so parties will be fly-camping on the tops or working off a vehicle 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 Central Otago and The Remarkables 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 Central Otago and The Remarkables permit area. Northern Pisa is a Roar block with a Permitted hunt status, so it is managed for the late-March to April rut — confirm the current ballot or roar allocation with DOC 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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