Sugarloaf
Sugarloaf is a 1,477 ha RHA in Mount Aspiring National Park east of the divide. Elevations run from 401 m on the lower faces to 2,094 m on the tops, with a median of 1,066 m. Thirty-four per cent of the country sits above the 1,200 m bushline and 16% in true alpine ground.
This is a mix of bush and tops, with beech and scrub in the lower drainages running up to open faces and rocky basins above the bushline. The block leans south, so the slopes hold shade longer through the morning and the warmer aspects are largely off the block.
Game on the permit is red deer, white-tail and chamois. White-tail in this drainage is a notable feature — the Otago white-tail population is small and largely concentrated in a few of the eastern Aspiring valleys.
Open Sugarloaf on the interactive map
Boundary, huts, terrain, tracks and 1080 zones — all layers, one map.
Terrain & elevation
Based on a sample of 5,025 DEM points inside the block.
- Elevation range
- 401–2,094 m
- Median elevation
- 1,066 m
- Middle 50%
- 831–1,312 m
- Above bushline (1,200 m)
- 34%
- Alpine (1,500 m+)
- 16%
- Dominant aspect
- south-facing
401–2,094 m, a mix of bush and tops, leaning south-facing.
What you can hunt here
Access & getting there
Helicopter access is permitted on Sugarloaf, and Wild Animal Recovery Operations (WARO) are also permitted, so commercial operators may be working the block.
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 RHA block in the Mount Aspiring National Park east of divide 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, and Sugarloaf is an RHA with a Permitted hunt status in Mount Aspiring National Park east of divide. RHA conditions apply — confirm current access rules and any party-size limits with DOC before 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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