Wildside Hunting Safaris

Wildside Hunting Safaris is a Raetihi-based outfitter in the central North Island offering fair-chase trophy hunts for red stag, fallow buck, sika, elk, tahr and chamois, plus the rarer rusa and sambar deer that few New Zealand operations can access. Gerald Fluerty has been running international trophy hunters for many years and the Raetihi location gives access to some of the North Island's most productive free-range sika and red deer country in the Kaimanawa and Kaweka ranges.

The operation is positioned squarely at the international trophy market, with pricing structured around SCI classifications and fair-chase free-range hunting as the core product. The addition of tahr and chamois — unusual for a North Island base — means Wildside runs multi-island programmes combining the volcanic plateau's sika and red deer with South Island alpine species for hunters wanting a broad New Zealand experience.

Raetihi sits in the volcanic heartland an hour from the Desert Road and three hours from either Wellington or Auckland. Accommodation is provided at the Wildside lodge, and the operation handles all logistics from airport transfers to trophy preparation for international clients.