The Kaweka Recreational Hunting Area (RHA) is located within the wider Kaweka Forest Park in Hawke’s Bay and the central North Island. The Kaweka Ranges lie inland from Napier and Hastings and form one of the North Island’s best-known backcountry hunting regions, with steep mountain terrain, extensive river systems and large areas of native forest.

The Kaweka RHA was gazetted in 1988. In 2026, the importance of the sika herd in the Kaweka Forest Park was formalised through the Game Animal Council Act 2013, with the establishment of the Sika Herd of Special Interest (HOSI). The Kaweka RHA sits within the Sika HOSI area, meaning sika in the RHA are legally managed through the Sika HOSI and the management of other game animal species remains through the RHA.

RHAs are areas of public conservation land where recreational hunters can enjoy and harvest meat without commercial competition. They were formally gazetted between the early and mid-1980s, following the hugely successful commercial recovery boom.

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Plan your hunt

The GAC Better Hunting Multi-Map tool can help you plan a hunt in the Kaweka RHA. It’s a one-stop-shop for links to weather forecasting, vegetation, pesticide operations, access and more.

Kaweka RHA on Multi-Map

Species present

  • Sika
  • Red deer

Permit required

The Kaweka RHA is covered by a Lower North Island open area hunting permit. You can get an open hunting permit here.

Key access points

Northern Kaweka RHA (approx. north of Kuripapango):

  • Makahu Road and Mangatutu Campsite
    • Te Puia Track
    • Tracks to Makino Hut and Middle Hill Hut
  • Whittle Road
    • Kaweka Road – Littles Clearing, Makahu Saddle Campsite, Makahu Saddle Hut
    • Lotkow Road
  • Lawrence Carpark Access Road – Larence Campsite and shelter
  • Kuripapango Road and Lakes Carpark
  • Cameron Carpark – Taihape Napier Road

Southern Kaweka RHA (approx. south of Kuripapango):

  • Taihape Napier Road and Gentle Annie
  • Comet Road

In addition to road-end and walking access, some hunters also use helicopter transport, where permitted.

Please refer to the WAMS maps (walking access) on the Multi-Map tool for more information on access.

Huts

The Kaweka Forest Park contains a network of huts managed by DOC. Huts within or bordering the RHA include (north to south):

Middle Hill Hut

Forest and terrain

The Kaweka RHA is largely dominated by mountain beech forest, which covers much of the mid-elevation country and provides key habitat for sika deer. In places, this transitions into areas of kānuka, mānuka and shrubland, particularly on drier faces and previously disturbed sites.

At higher elevations, the forest gives way to subalpine scrub, tussock grasslands and open tops, with some areas of exposed ridgeline, rocky ground and clay pans. These open areas are a defining feature of parts of the Kaweka Range and provide good opportunities for glassing.

The terrain is typically steep, dry and broken, with a mix of ridgelines, plateaus and deeply incised river valleys such as the Mohaka and its tributaries. Compared to the Kaimanawa Ranges, parts of the Kaweka country are more open and easier to glass, particularly on the eastern side, although hunting conditions can still vary from tight bush stalking to open tops hunting depending on location.

Tips for hunting Kaweka RHA

The Kaweka RHA is primarily sika country, with smaller numbers of red deer also present. Hunting can be productive year-round, with sika being more visible in their lighter summer coats during the warmer months from November through to the roar (autumn).

Black Birch Range is a popular hunting area, with country around Black Birch Bivouac including open rocky ground, clay pans, beech forest and tussock. Makino Hut and the surrounding country are useful for day and weekend hunting, with popular areas being the plateaus near the Ballard/Makino junction, the slopes down toward the Makino and Mohaka Rivers, and the adjoining Waimatai and Mangaturutu catchments.

Hunting forums highlight the Makahu and Makino side as productive sika country, with clay pans and good vantage points often singled out as useful areas to watch. From the Kaweka Flats side, one practical approach is to use the main spurs running up under Whetu.

Dogs

Only registered, avian aversion certified hunting dogs are permitted in Kaweka Forest Park.

Local NZDA branches

The strong advocacy of the New Zealand Deerstalkers Association (NZDA) was key to the establishment of these areas and the creation of RHAs remains one of the important achievements of organised recreational hunting advocacy in New Zealand.

Local branches include:

Local DOC office

DOC Napier: