Hunting in Wellington/Kapiti
22 DOC permit areas, 24 huts, 1,733 unformed legal roads — and what each of them means before you go.
What has been recorded here
- Rabbit 636
- Brushtail possum 318
- Feral goat 128
- Peafowl 84
- Feral pig 72
- Brown hare 42
- Wild turkey 35
- Red deer 28
- Fallow deer 11
- White-tailed deer 1
- Chamois 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 22 hunting permit areas in Wellington/Kapiti. 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.
1,733 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 Wellington/Kapiti
Balloted and restricted blocks here
- Wainuiomata deer ballotDates not published yet Deer · run by Greater Wellington
- East Harbour deer ballotDates not published yet Deer · run by Greater Wellington
- Greater Wellington parks and forestsBy permit Deer, pigs and goats · run by Greater Wellington
1080 in Wellington/Kapiti right now
3 DOC operations are in their caution period in Wellington/Kapiti. Baits and carcasses can still kill a dog, and the caution period is the recorded minimum rather than an all-clear.
- OSPRI Sthn Tararua Aerial 2025-26 caution to 2027-09-05
- OSPRI Sthn Tararua Aerial 2025-26 caution to 2027-09-05
- Project Kaka Aerial 2025-26 caution to 2027-06-05
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
24 across 3 parks and conservation areas. 18 you can simply turn up at, and 11 of those have a fire.
Hut locations and facilities: Department of Conservation (CC BY 4.0), via the DOC open data hub.
Tararua Forest Park15 huts
- Anderson Memorial HutTurn upFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Aokaparangi HutTurn upMattressesWaterToilet
- Burn HutTurn upMattressesWaterToilet
- Dracophyllum HutTurn upMattressesWaterToilet
- Elder HutTurn upMattressesWaterToilet
- Kapakapanui HutTurn upFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Mangahao Flats HutTurn upFireMattressesWaterToilet
- North Mangahao BivvyTurn upMattressesWaterToilet
- North Ohau HutTurn upFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Penn Creek HutTurn upFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Renata Hut Turn upFireWaterToilet
- South Ohau HutTurn upFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Te Matawai HutTurn upFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Waiopehu HutTurn upMattressesWaterToilet
- Waiotauru HutTurn upWaterToilet
Catchpool Valley & Ōrongorongo Valley6 huts
- Boar InnBook aheadFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Haurangi HutBook aheadFireMattressesWaterToiletCooker
- Jans HutBook aheadFireMattressesWaterToiletCooker
- Papatahi HutBook aheadFireMattressesWaterToiletCooker
- Raukawa LodgeBook aheadFireMattressesToiletCooker
- Tūrere LodgeBook aheadFireMattressesWaterToiletCooker
Ōtaki Forks area3 huts
- Field HutTurn upFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Parawai LodgeTurn upFireMattressesWaterToilet
- Waitewaewae 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 Wellington/Kapiti 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.