Te Papanui
Te Papanui is a 22,884 ha RHA in the Coastal Otago north of the Catlins permit area, covering the Lammermoor tussock plateau inland of Dunedin. Elevations run from 435 m on the lower faces to 1,153 m on the tops, with a median of 963 m. None of the block crosses the 1,200 m bushline, but the country sits high — open tussock plateau rather than foothill.
This is classic Lammermoor country — wide rolling tussock with shallow basins, occasional tarns and very little bush cover. The block leans east, so the morning sun catches it cleanly and the country opens up for long-range glassing through the day.
Game on the permit is red deer, fallow deer, wild goat and wild pig. The open tussock makes it a glassing-and-stalking block — long sight lines, persistent wind and weather, and animals visible at distance.
Open Te Papanui on the interactive map
Boundary, huts, terrain, tracks and 1080 zones — all layers, one map.
Terrain & elevation
Based on a sample of 80,300 DEM points inside the block.
- Elevation range
- 435–1,153 m
- Median elevation
- 963 m
- Middle 50%
- 860–1,039 m
- Above bushline (1,200 m)
- 0%
- Alpine (1,500 m+)
- 0%
- Dominant aspect
- east-facing
435–1,153 m, foothill country with low tops, leaning east-facing.
What you can hunt here
Access & getting there
Helicopter access is permitted on Te Papanui. Wild Animal Recovery Operations (WARO) are not permitted on this RHA, so commercial helicopter shooting is not a concern.
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 RHA block in the Coastal Otago north of 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 Te Papanui is an RHA with a Permitted hunt status in the Coastal Otago north of the Catlins permit area. RHA conditions apply — confirm current access rules and any party-size limits with DOC before a trip.
1080 & pesticide status
- Pesticide (1080 or similar) has been laid in or near this block — check current dog and carcass restrictions before you hunt.
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