Southern Pisa Conservation Area
Southern Pisa Conservation Area is a 5,321 ha Roar block on the Pisa Range, in the Central Otago and The Remarkables permit area. Elevations run from 297 m on the lower faces to 1,588 m on the tops, with a median of 1,157 m. Forty-two per cent of the country sits above the 1,200 m bushline, with just 2% in true alpine ground.
This is mostly mid-elevation tussock and scrub country with a thin band of tops on the upper ridges. The block leans south-east, so the morning sun catches the slopes well and the lower country warms up early. Pisa country is open and rolling — long sight lines rather than tight bush stalking.
Game on the permit is red deer, chamois, wild goat and wild pig. The open tussock and four-species permit make this a flexible block for parties wanting to glass and stalk.
Open Southern Pisa Conservation Area on the interactive map
Boundary, huts, terrain, tracks and 1080 zones — all layers, one map.
Terrain & elevation
Based on a sample of 18,115 DEM points inside the block.
- Elevation range
- 297–1,588 m
- Median elevation
- 1,157 m
- Middle 50%
- 1,028–1,295 m
- Above bushline (1,200 m)
- 42%
- Alpine (1,500 m+)
- 2%
- Dominant aspect
- south-east-facing
297–1,588 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 Southern Pisa, and Wild Animal Recovery Operations (WARO) are also permitted, so commercial operators may be working the open tops.
There are no DOC huts or campsites recorded inside the block — parties will be fly-camping on the tussock or working off a vehicle 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 Central Otago and The Remarkables 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 Central Otago and The Remarkables permit area. Southern Pisa 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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