Hunting in the Central North Island
54 DOC permit areas, 16 huts, 769 unformed legal roads — and what each of them means before you go.
What has been recorded here
- Brushtail possum 97
- Wild turkey 93
- Sika deer 69
- Rabbit 55
- Peafowl 53
- Red deer 47
- Brown hare 36
- Fallow deer 9
- Feral pig 9
- Feral goat 3
- Sambar deer 1
Most of these are logged by the public rather than by hunters, so a cluster is a real sign the animal is about and out where it can be seen — it is not a record of where people hunt. But records follow tracks, roads and campsites, so empty country usually means nobody has walked it with a phone rather than that there is nothing there. Presence, not density.
Occurrence data from GBIF.org.
Where you can hunt
DOC files 54 hunting permit areas in the Central North Island. Public conservation land needs a permit, and each area carries its own conditions and closures — which are DOC’s to set and worth reading for the block you pick.
769 unformed legal roads run through the region — public roads that were surveyed and never built. Many cross private farmland, and you may pass along one without asking anybody, though the paddocks either side stay private.
Open the map Make a hunt plan Fishing access in the Central North Island
1080 in the Central North Island right now
No DOC 1080 operation in the Central North Island is in its caution period today. That is DOC’s record only — regional councils, OSPRI and landowners lay poison that is not in it, so read the signs at every entrance and ask the owner on private land.
Every recorded operation, and what it means for dogs
Shows operations recorded by DOC from March 2022 onward. This is not a statement that 1080 is or is not present now. Always follow on-site warning signs and check DOC for the authoritative position.
Huts
16 across 4 parks and conservation areas. 5 you can simply turn up at, and 5 of those have a fire.
Hut locations and facilities: Department of Conservation (CC BY 4.0), via the DOC open data hub.
Tongariro National Park10 huts
- Blyth HutBook aheadFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Lupton HutBook aheadFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Mangaehuehu HutBook aheadFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Mangatepopo HutBook aheadFireMattressesWaterToiletCooker
- Mangaturuturu HutBook aheadFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Oturere HutBook aheadFireMattressesWaterToiletCooker
- Rangipo HutBook aheadFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Waihohonu HutBook aheadFireMattressesWaterToiletCooker
- Whakapapaiti HutBook aheadFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Whangaehu HutBook aheadMattressesWaterToilet
Kaimanawa Forest Park4 huts
- Boyd HutBook aheadFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Cascade HutTurn upFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Oamaru HutTurn upFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Waipakihi HutTurn upFireMattressesWaterToilet
Hihitahi Forest Sanctuary1 hut
- Zekes HutTurn upFireMattressesWaterToilet
Tongariro Forest Conservation Area1 hut
- Ten Man HutTurn upFireMattressesWaterToilet
Before you walk in
This is a snapshot of DOC’s hut dataset, not a live feed — DOC last refreshed it in April 2026 and has flagged it for replacement. Huts close, burn down, get booked out and get alerts put on them. Before you commit to sleeping in one, open its DOC page and check.
“Turn up” means first come, first served — carry a Backcountry Hut Pass or tickets, and expect company. The rules about firearms and carcasses near huts are the same everywhere and worth reading once.
Asking for private land
Most of the Central North Island is somebody’s farm, and that is where the animals a landowner wants fewer of usually are. Find the block on the map and we work out the postal address without ever showing you who owns it; you print one page, they scan the code and answer.