Sawyer Burn
Sawyer Burn is a 4,326 ha Roar block in the Hāwea Conservation Park / Lake Wanaka / Lower Matukituki Valley permit area. Elevations run from 279 m on the lower faces to 1,928 m on the tops, with a median of 1,194 m. Forty-nine per cent of the country sits above the 1,200 m bushline and 18% in true alpine ground.
This is a mix of bush and tops with significant alpine ground — beech and scrub in the lower drainages running up to open tussock and rock on the higher faces. The block leans south, so the slopes hold shade longer through the morning and the warmer faces are largely off the block to the north.
Game on the permit is red deer, tahr and chamois — the classic Lake Wanaka alpine trio. Vertical relief of around 1,650 m gives elevation options through any given day.
Open Sawyer Burn on the interactive map
Boundary, huts, terrain, tracks and 1080 zones — all layers, one map.
Terrain & elevation
Based on a sample of 14,465 DEM points inside the block.
- Elevation range
- 279–1,928 m
- Median elevation
- 1,194 m
- Middle 50%
- 894–1,424 m
- Above bushline (1,200 m)
- 49%
- Alpine (1,500 m+)
- 18%
- Dominant aspect
- south-facing
279–1,928 m, mostly above the bushline, leaning south-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 Sawyer Burn, and Wild Animal Recovery Operations (WARO) are also permitted, so commercial operators may be working the country at times.
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. Sawyer 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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