Purakaunui Bay
Purakaunui Bay is a 366 ha Balloted Roar block in the Catlins permit area, on the southern Otago coast. Elevations run from 8 m at the bay edge to 288 m on the inland faces, with a median of 93 m — lowland / foothill coastal country with no bushline.
This is classic Catlins coastal forest, leaning north-east and dropping to the sea. Country is short rather than steep, with podocarp-broadleaf bush and small open faces in the gullies. The lower elevations mean game is on the move close to the coast and trails are short to walk.
Game on the permit is red deer, wild goat and wild pig. The Catlins coastal forest is renowned for its mature reds and a balloted roar gives a quality experience without crowds.
Open Purakaunui Bay on the interactive map
Boundary, huts, terrain, tracks and 1080 zones — all layers, one map.
Terrain & elevation
Based on a sample of 1,185 DEM points inside the block.
- Elevation range
- 8–288 m
- Median elevation
- 93 m
- Middle 50%
- 53–140 m
- Above bushline (1,200 m)
- 0%
- Alpine (1,500 m+)
- 0%
- Dominant aspect
- north-east-facing
8–288 m, lowland / foothill country, leaning north-east-facing.
What you can hunt here
This is a balloted roar block — 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 Purakaunui Bay. Wild Animal Recovery Operations (WARO) are not permitted on this block, so recreational hunters won't be competing with commercial helicopter shooting.
There are no DOC huts or campsites recorded inside the block — plan for a day trip or short fly-camp.
Permits & rules
You need a DOC hunting permit to hunt this block. It is classed as a Balloted Roar block block in the Catlins permit area, with a hunting status of Permitted.
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, and Purakaunui Bay is a Balloted Roar block in the Catlins permit area. The block is balloted for the roar, with a small number of permits issued for the rut window — apply through DOC's roar ballot before the standard cutoff.
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.
Get roar & 1080 alerts for the areas you hunt
We'll email you when pesticide operations, ballot dates or access conditions change for Otago.
Sign up →