Upper Dart
Upper Dart is a 16,642 ha block in Mount Aspiring National Park east of the divide, in the headwaters of the Dart River. Elevations climb from 462 m on the valley floor to 2,607 m on the tops, with a median of 1,457 m. Sixty-nine per cent of the country sits above the 1,200 m bushline and 47% in true alpine ground.
This is predominantly alpine country — broad open faces, hanging basins and steep upper slopes rising out of valley-floor beech and matagouri. The block leans south, so the slopes hold shade longer through the morning and the warmer aspects are largely off the block. Vertical relief of more than 2,100 m on a single block gives elevation options through any given trip.
Game on the permit is red deer, white-tail, tahr, chamois and wild goat. The five-species permit is one of the broader public-land permits in Otago, and the white-tail presence in the Dart headwaters is a real drawcard.
Open Upper Dart on the interactive map
Boundary, huts, terrain, tracks and 1080 zones — all layers, one map.
Terrain & elevation
Based on a sample of 55,878 DEM points inside the block.
- Elevation range
- 462–2,607 m
- Median elevation
- 1,457 m
- Middle 50%
- 1,114–1,766 m
- Above bushline (1,200 m)
- 69%
- Alpine (1,500 m+)
- 47%
- Dominant aspect
- south-facing
462–2,607 m, predominantly alpine, leaning south-facing.
What you can hunt here
Access & getting there
Helicopter access is permitted on Upper Dart, and Wild Animal Recovery Operations (WARO) are also permitted, so commercial operators may be working the alpine faces.
Dart Hut sits inside the block in Mount Aspiring National Park. It has heating, mattresses, flush toilet and tap water (boil before use), and is not bookable. Dart Campsite sits alongside the hut. The setup gives walk-in parties a fixed base for big-country trips.
Huts & campsites
Heating, Mattresses, Toilets - flush, Water from tap - not treated, boil before use, Water supply
Heating, Mattresses, Toilets - flush, Water from tap - not treated, boil before use, Water supply
Campsites: Dart Campsite.
Permits & rules
You need a DOC hunting permit to hunt this block. It is classed as a Ordinary 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 for Mount Aspiring National Park east of divide. Upper Dart is an Ordinary block with a Permitted hunt status, so permits are issued through the standard online system rather than a ballot.
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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