Omatane Scenic Reserve
Omatane Scenic Reserve is a small 106 ha block in the Manawatu-Wanganui region, taken out under the Palmerston North Area Reserves permit area. Elevations run from about 330 m up to 562 m, with a median around 427 m, so it sits as mid-altitude bush country well below the bushline.
The block has a very strong westerly lean, with about 46% of the country facing west and useful shares also picking up north-west and south-west. Southerly and easterly aspects barely feature. That gives a clear set of westerly sidles to focus on, but it means easterly winds are hard to work cleanly on this block.
Game on the permit includes red deer, sambar and wild goat. Sambar are the standout — these Palmerston North reserves sit within the small introduced sambar range.
Open Omatane Scenic Reserve on the interactive map
Boundary, huts, terrain, tracks and 1080 zones — all layers, one map.
Terrain & elevation
Based on a sample of 294 DEM points inside the block.
- Elevation range
- 330–562 m
- Median elevation
- 427 m
- Middle 50%
- 403–461 m
- Above bushline (1,200 m)
- 0%
- Alpine (1,500 m+)
- 0%
- Dominant aspect
- west-facing
330–562 m, lowland / foothill country, leaning west-facing.
What you can hunt here
Access & getting there
There are no huts or formal campsites inside the block, so plan to day-trip or fly-camp from a vehicle base.
Air access by helicopter is permitted, giving an option to drop onto a likely face. The block is not flagged for wild animal recovery operations (WARO).
Permits & rules
You need a DOC hunting permit to hunt this block. It is classed as a Ordinary block in the Palmerston North Area Reserves permit area, with a hunting status of Restricted.
This block sits within a DOC air-access zone — fly-in hunting and helicopter drop-offs may be permitted.
Omatane Scenic Reserve is a Restricted block under the Palmerston North Area Reserves permit area. Access and hunting are by allocation through DOC rather than open permit — confirm the current process and 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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