Kaimanawa Forest Park

Kaimanawa Forest Park offers great hunting for sika and red deer and limited pig hunting opportunities.

Sika deer are distributed throughout the park with the greatest concentrations in the north and east from the Mohaka river to the Tauranga Taupō river.

Red deer and pigs are also present, but in lower numbers. Red deer are more common in the southern parts of the park, and pigs tend to be concentrated along the edges of the park, particularly where they have access to exotic forestry blocks.

The Park is characterised by its irregular broken nature as the Kaimanawa mountains comprise a number of ranges separated by the headwater valleys of several major rivers. The central and southern areas are the more rugged, made up of steep bush clad valleys, scrubland and alpine grassland. The north and east of the park is more rolling terrain, and almost entirely covered in forest.

The recreational hunting opportunity in the park is of national importance. The Kaimanawa/Ahimanawa/Kaweka area has the only large wild herd of sika deer in the southern hemisphere. In recognition of the sport-hunting potential of the sika herd, the northern part of the park was gazetted as a recreational hunting area (RHA) in 1982. It is one of the highest-used RHAs in the country.

Clements Mill Road

Access 27 km east of Taupo off SH5 via Taharua Road. Drive 9.5 km to Clements Mill Road turn off which gives good access to the popular Recreational Hunting Area (RHA) containing sika deer established in northern Kaimanawa Forest Park. Or continue to the end of Tauharua Road (10 km) with walking access available into the park via Poronui Station.

Walking access to Cascade, Oamaru and Boyd huts.

Kiko Road

Access is off SH1, 10 km north of Tūrangi. Kaimanawa Forest Park is reached 17 km along Kiko Road, via privately owned Lake Taupo Forest land. From the road end, a walking track gives access to the western Kaimanawa upper Tauranga Taupo and Waimarino catchments. Predominantly sika deer exist with localised pockets of red deer pigs bordering exotic pine forest.

Kaimanawa Road

Access off SH1 15 km south of Tūrangi. The Kaimanawa Road gives access to a camping ground and walking tracks through red beech and podocarp forest containing pigs, red deer, sika deer and the Waipakihi hut including Umukarikari to Waipakihi, Urchin Trig, and access to the thunderbolt tops (middle range).

Tree Trunk Gorge Road

Access is off SH1, 23 km south of Tūrangi. Access to southwestern Kaimanawa beech habitat.

Southern corridor access

Access is off SH1, 37km south of Tūrangi with walking access to southern Kaimanawa and the Kaimanawa remote experience zone. This habitat is predominantly mountain beech and vast tussock alpine areas containing predominantly sika deer with isolated pockets of red deer throughout.

Note on private land: Large blocks of private land dissect the park. If you intend to cross private land you must first obtain a permit from the appropriate landowner. Hunting permits from DOC do not confer right of access across private land.

Kaimanawa Forest Park access information.

You will need the following Topo 50 maps:

Tūrangi BH35
Motutere BH36
Rangitaiki BH37
Waiouru BJ35
Tawake Tohunga BJ36

A maximum of 1 dog per hunter is allowed in the Kaimanawa Forest Park. A separate permit is required from the Taupō or Tūrangi DOC office to use more than 1 dog. Kiwi and whio avoidance training is recommended.

There are a number of huts in Kaimanawa Forest Park:

• Oamaru Hut
• Boyd Lodge
• Cascade Hut
• Waipakihi Hut