Hunting on the East Coast
50 DOC permit areas, 38 huts, 1,673 unformed legal roads — and what each of them means before you go.
What has been recorded here
- Wild turkey 258
- Peafowl 181
- Red deer 161
- Brushtail possum 112
- Feral goat 53
- Fallow deer 13
- Sika deer 13
- Brown hare 5
- Rabbit 5
- Feral pig 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 50 hunting permit areas on the East Coast. 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.
1,673 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 on the East Coast
Balloted and restricted blocks here
- Te UreweraBy permit Deer, pigs and goats · run by Tūhoe
- Aratu ForestsBy permit Forest entry · run by Aratu
- Juken forestsBy permit Hunting, through clubs and iwi · run by Clubs and iwi
1080 on the East Coast right now
1 DOC operation is in its caution period on the East Coast. Baits and carcasses can still kill a dog, and the caution period is the recorded minimum rather than an all-clear.
- Raukumara caution to 2027-04-26
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
38 across 6 parks and conservation areas. 33 you can simply turn up at, and 32 of those have a fire.
Hut locations and facilities: Department of Conservation (CC BY 4.0), via the DOC open data hub.
Te Urewera16 huts
- Central Waiau HutTurn upFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Duckville HutTurn upFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Makakoere HutTurn upFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Mangatoatoa HutTurn upFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Marauiti HutBook aheadFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Otapukawa HutTurn upFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Panekire HutBook aheadFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Sandy Bay HutBook aheadFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Te Panaa HutTurn upFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Te Pourewa HutTurn upFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Te Pua HutTurn upFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Te Rangaakapua HutTurn upFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Te Totara HutTurn upFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Te Waiotukapiti HutTurn upFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Waiharuru HutBook aheadFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Waiopaoa HutBook aheadFireMattressesWaterToilet
Whirinaki Te Pua-a-Tāne Conservation Park10 huts
- Central Te Hoe HutTurn upFireMattresses
- Central Whirinaki HutTurn upFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Mangakahika HutTurn upFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Mangamate HutTurn upFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Moerangi HutTurn upFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Okui HutTurn upFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Rogers Hut (Te Wairoa)Turn upFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Skips Hut (Whangatawhia)Turn upFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Upper Te Hoe HutTurn upFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Upper Whirinaki HutTurn upFireMattressesWaterToilet
Ōpōtiki area5 huts
- Kotepato HutTurn upFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Manganuku HutTurn upFireMattressesWater
- Nikau Flat HutTurn upFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Pakihi HutTurn upFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Te Waiti HutTurn upFireMattresses
Raukumara Conservation Park3 huts
- Mangakirikiri HutTurn upFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Mangaotane Hut (Mcmillans)Turn upFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Oronui HutTurn upFireMattressesWaterToilet
Waioweka Conservation Area3 huts
- Kahunui HutTurn upFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Koranga Forks HutTurn upFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Tawa HutTurn upFireMattressesWaterToilet
Waipunga Forest1 hut
- Upper Matakuhia HutTurn upMattressesWaterToilet
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 East Coast 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.