Whakaari East
Whakaari East is a 4,230 ha block in the Cardrona/Glenorchy/Shotover permit area, in the Skippers country. Elevations run from 521 m on the lower faces to 2,109 m on the tops, with a median of 1,183 m. Forty-eight per cent of the country sits above the 1,200 m bushline and 18% 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 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 fallow deer, chamois and wild goat. The species mix without reds is unusual for the wider district and gives hunters fallow ground in country with an accessible chamois fringe.
Open Whakaari East on the interactive map
Boundary, huts, terrain, tracks and 1080 zones — all layers, one map.
Terrain & elevation
Based on a sample of 14,390 DEM points inside the block.
- Elevation range
- 521–2,109 m
- Median elevation
- 1,183 m
- Middle 50%
- 968–1,409 m
- Above bushline (1,200 m)
- 48%
- Alpine (1,500 m+)
- 18%
- Dominant aspect
- south-facing
521–2,109 m, mostly above the bushline, leaning south-facing.
What you can hunt here
Access & getting there
Helicopter access is permitted on Whakaari East, and Wild Animal Recovery Operations (WARO) are also permitted, so commercial operators may be working the block.
Stoney Creek Hut sits inside the block in the Skippers area. It has heating, mattresses, non-flush toilet and stream water, and is not bookable — first in for any party using it. The hut gives walk-in parties a fixed base.
Huts & campsites
Heating, Mattresses, Toilets - non-flush, Water from stream, Water supply
Permits & rules
You need a DOC hunting permit to hunt this block. It is classed as a Ordinary block in the Cardrona/Glenorchy/Shotover 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 Cardrona/Glenorchy/Shotover permit area. Whakaari East 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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