Oruatapu Scenic reserve
Oruatapu Scenic Reserve is a very small 80 ha block in the Manawatu-Wanganui region, taken out under the Taumarunui Reserves permit area, and is classed as a restricted hunting area (RHA). Elevations run from about 183 m up to 466 m, with a median around 273 m, so it is lowland to foothill bush country well below the bushline.
The block has a strong easterly lean, with about a third of the country facing east, a quarter north-east and useful shares to south-east and north. Westerly aspects barely feature. That gives a clear set of warm, sun-facing sidles dropping toward the morning sun.
Game on the permit includes red deer, wild goat and wild pig. At this scale it is a focused short-stalk block by the allocated party.
Open Oruatapu Scenic reserve on the interactive map
Boundary, huts, terrain, tracks and 1080 zones — all layers, one map.
Terrain & elevation
Based on a sample of 225 DEM points inside the block.
- Elevation range
- 183–466 m
- Median elevation
- 273 m
- Middle 50%
- 237–323 m
- Above bushline (1,200 m)
- 0%
- Alpine (1,500 m+)
- 0%
- Dominant aspect
- east-facing
183–466 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 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 Taumarunui block 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.
Oruatapu 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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