Rumbling Burn
Rumbling Burn is a 4,827 ha Roar block in the Hāwea Conservation Park / Lake Wanaka / Lower Matukituki Valley permit area. Elevations climb from 285 m on the valley floor to 2,319 m on the tops, with a median of 1,375 m. Sixty-six per cent of the country sits above the 1,200 m bushline and 39% in true alpine ground.
This is mostly above the bushline tops country, with steep open faces and rocky basins above the beech-fringed lower drainages. The block leans south-east, so morning sun catches the country well — useful for first-light glassing of warm sidles.
Game on the permit is red deer, tahr and chamois — the classic eastern Aspiring alpine trio. Vertical relief of more than 2,000 m gives elevation options through any given day.
Open Rumbling Burn on the interactive map
Boundary, huts, terrain, tracks and 1080 zones — all layers, one map.
Terrain & elevation
Based on a sample of 16,201 DEM points inside the block.
- Elevation range
- 285–2,319 m
- Median elevation
- 1,375 m
- Middle 50%
- 1,073–1,666 m
- Above bushline (1,200 m)
- 66%
- Alpine (1,500 m+)
- 39%
- Dominant aspect
- south-east-facing
285–2,319 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 Rumbling Burn, and Wild Animal Recovery Operations (WARO) are also permitted, so commercial operators may be working the alpine country.
There are no DOC huts or campsites recorded inside the block — parties will be fly-camping or working off a 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 Hawea Conservation Park/Lake Wanaka/Lower Matukituki Valley 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 Hāwea Conservation Park / Lake Wanaka / Lower Matukituki Valley permit area. Rumbling Burn is a Roar block with a Permitted hunt status, so it is managed for the late-March to April rut — check 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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