Upper Albert Burn
Upper Albert Burn is a 4,593 ha Roar block in the Hāwea Conservation Park / Lake Wanaka / Lower Matukituki Valley permit area. Elevations run from 578 m on the lower faces to 2,095 m on the tops, with a median of 1,388 m and 71% of the country above the 1,200 m bushline.
Thirty-seven per cent of the block is in true alpine ground, so this is mostly above the bushline tops country — open faces, hanging basins and rocky upper slopes. The block leans east, so morning sun catches the country well and the warm sidles fire up early.
Game on the permit is red deer, tahr and chamois — the classic Lake Wanaka alpine trio. The combination of bush-edge reds and high-country tahr and chamois on a single block is what makes this country worth the climb.
Open Upper Albert Burn on the interactive map
Boundary, huts, terrain, tracks and 1080 zones — all layers, one map.
Terrain & elevation
Based on a sample of 15,252 DEM points inside the block.
- Elevation range
- 578–2,095 m
- Median elevation
- 1,388 m
- Middle 50%
- 1,138–1,614 m
- Above bushline (1,200 m)
- 71%
- Alpine (1,500 m+)
- 37%
- Dominant aspect
- east-facing
578–2,095 m, mostly above the bushline, leaning 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 Upper Albert Burn, and Wild Animal Recovery Operations (WARO) are also permitted — commercial operators may be working the open faces.
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. Upper Albert 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
- 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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