The Pureora North Block Recreational Hunting Area (RHA) is a popular hunting area in the Waikato region, sitting within the wider Pureora Forest/Rangitoto Range, west of Mangakino and east of Te Kūiti. The northern Pureora zone includes 26,000 ha available for hunting, of which 17,500 is RHA.

RHAs are areas of public conservation land where recreational hunters can enjoy and harvest 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’s Better Hunting Multi-Map tool can help you plan a hunt in the Pureora North Block RHA. It’s a one-stop-shop for links to weather forecasting, vegetation, pesticide operations, access and more.

Pureora North Block RHA on Multi-Map

Species present

  • Red deer
  • Pigs
  • Goats

Permit required

The Pureora North Block RHA is covered by an open area hunting permit. You can get an open area hunting permit here.

Key access points

Northern Rangitoto access:

  • Duncan Road and Mangatutu Stream Reserve
  • Wall Road
  • Hoddle Road
  • Tolley Road

Wall Road becomes farm track with a locked gate and Hoddle Road also transitions to farm access with poled entry beyond.

Western Rangitoto Range access:

  • Owawenga Road access route (access gate at forest) to Wildlife Hut

Pureora Block access from the south:

  • Ranginui Road from SH30
  • Waitaramoa Road from SH30
  • Waipapa Northern Hunters Access Track – Fletchers Road (off Ranginui Road)
  • Waipapa Block Southern Hunter Access Track – Pureora Lodge Road
  • Select Loop Road
  • Okahukura Block access – Waitaramoa Road and Okahukura Loop Track carpark
  • Ngaroma Block access – via Waitaramoa Road continuation

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

Huts

  • Wildlife Hut – west of RHA (Cowan Wildlife Reserve). This hut is managed by the Department of Conservation (DOC). Wildlife Hut is accessible by 4WD in suitable conditions.

Forest type and terrain

The Pureora North Block RHA is dominated by podocarp–broadleaf forest, with large rimu, tōtara and tawa forming a tall, dense canopy across much of the area.

At higher elevations, particularly toward the Rangitoto Range, forest transitions to scrub and regenerating vegetation. There are limited open tops and no true alpine environments within the RHA, although some ridgelines and higher ground can be more open and provide opportunities for glassing.

Overall, the terrain is predominantly forested hill country, with hunting largely occurring within bush rather than open alpine settings.

Tips for hunting Pureora North Block RHA

Pureora North Block has reasonable numbers of deer and pigs along with some goats. There are a range of entry points into the block, although some are walking access only and not all routes are well marked, so careful navigation is important.

The Pureora Hunting Competition has been going for over 30 years and runs between March and April. It is open to all hunters and applies to Pureora Forest Park and surrounds. Information about the Pureora Hunting Competition can be found here.

Dogs

Standard open hunting permit for the Pureora Forest/Western King Country allows a hunter to take up to two dogs or party of hunters a maximum of three dogs into public conservation land.

All dogs must remain under the strict control of owners and not be allowed to stray onto surrounding farmland or cause distress to other recreational users. To take dogs across private property you must get permission from the landowner.

Pureora North Block and the wider Pureora forest have a long history of 1080 pest-control operations. Hunters should check DOC alerts before a trip, especially if taking dogs, as dogs are highly susceptible to 1080 poisoning.

Local NZDA branches

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

Local branches include:

Local DOC office

DOC Te Kūiti: