Molesworth Recreation Reserve hunting
Located in South Marlborough hunting in the Marlborough region
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Introduction
Hunting is restricted in Molesworth as it is both a recreation reserve and a working farm, and there is a need to balance the requirements of both. Red deer, chamois, goats, pigs, and Canada geese are found here.Species
- Chamois
- Deer - Red
- Goats
- Pigs
Permit requirements
This hunting area is covered by a 'restricted area permit'. Contact the DOC office managing the hunting area.
Seasonal restrictions
Chukar hunting: Some blocks in June are restricted to chukar hunting only – check the details section.
Canada goose: Goose hunt weekends are held each year – check the details section.
Acheron Road is open 7 am – 7 pm daily from 1 October to Easter Monday or the second Sunday in April – whichever is later. It can close without warning.
Note: Since 2022 the road started opening on 1 October. Older brochures may say it opens on Labour weekend, which is now incorrect.
Dog access
About this hunting block
Apply for Molesworth hunting permits online
Permit information
Permits for hunting deer, chamois, goats and pigs will only be issued for a specific period and for a specified area.
- Blocks can be booked up to 6 months in advance to the month, not the date (eg. in July you may apply for January blocks). Note: Should a hunting week cross into the next month check the Availability Calendar to see what month it falls in as you may need to apply in the month following eg. August.
- Blocks can be booked for 7 days beginning on a Wednesday and ending on a Tuesday. You may choose to hunt only a portion of this period.
- The booking system is first in first served.
- Only one block per hunting party at one time and no consecutive weeks can be booked.
- Maximum 8 people on each permit (6 Hunters/Non-Hunters with the addition of 2 Non-Hunters only).
- You may only book a block once per month and no more than three times in a 6 month period (1 January – 30 June, and 1 July – 31 December), whether you are a hunter or non-hunter. Permits issued during the roar are not counted in this limit.
Different areas are available at different times of the year, depending on farm requirements and stock locations.
Landcorp and the Molesworth Recreational Reserve Manager do not issue hunting permits.
Any breaches of permit conditions are treated very seriously – past breaches have resulted in offenders being trespassed from Molesworth and prosecuted.
Watch out for trampers, mountain bikers and other hunters
Areas may be used by other trampers, mountain bikers or other hunters accessing their block at any time. Wilding pine control by helicopter may be carried out at any time. Weed control staff will be informed of any hunters in the areas they are working.
General information
Molesworth Recreational Reserve has the largest farm in New Zealand. It is administered by DOC and leased to Landcorp Farming Ltd.
Red deer, chamois, goats, pigs, and Canada geese are found here.
Chukar hunting
Chukar hunting will take place from week 3: 18 – 24 June and week 4: 25 June – 1 July 2025.
Contact Nelson Marlborough Fish and Game for a permit:
Jacob Lucas
Email: jlucas@fishandgame.org.nz
Phone: +64 3 544 6382
These blocks are exclusive for chukar hunting only and do not allow you to hunt big game during this time:
- Alma
- Boundary
- Cat Creek
- Dog Stream
- Long Gully
- Makuratawhai
- Mt Severn
- Travellers
- Turks
- Upper Wairau
Goose hunts
Canada goose hunt weekends are held each year.
- 17 – 20 October 2024
- 6 – 9 March 2025
- 5 – 8 June 2025
To participate, contact:
Mike Gane
Email: mike.gane@xtra.co.nz
No large game hunting permits will be issued during Canada goose hunt weekends. A goose hunting permit:
- allows you to hunt Canada goose only, and
- does not allow you to hunt big game.
Access
Vehicle access is limited to the main formed roads Acheron Road and Tophouse/Wairau Hanmer Springs Road, also known as Rainbow Road, only and only when the roads are open. No vehicles are to be driven on any farm tracks.
Helicopters are not permitted at all.
There are three main road access points.
Via Jacks Pass Road from Hanmer Springs
This road is open all year round, weather conditions permitting. This gives access to the southern end of the Molesworth, and north through to Lake Sedgemere. The road can be impassable because of snow during the winter months.
Rainbow Road
Rainbow Road goes through Rainbow Station and Molesworth Recreation Reserve, from near St Arnaud (turn off SH63) to Hanmer. This is a 4WD toll road with access restrictions. For details, see the Rainbow Station website.
Molesworth Acheron Road - Awatere Valley Road
This links the Acheron to the top of the Awatere Valley Road.
Road open from:
- 7 am – 7 pm daily from 1 October to Easter Monday or the second Sunday in April – whichever is later. It can close without warning.
Outside of these dates, you must apply for an activity permit.
You also may need an activity permit for road access for other activities such as mountain biking or walking.
Alternative access
A hunting permit does not guarantee road access when the Acheron Road is closed. An activity permit for driving access to your hunting block will not be issued when the road is closed due to winter weather and farming operations except in exceptional circumstances.
Plan for this in your block choices.
Access to the following hunting blocks are:
- Boundary: Leatham Molesworth Route
- Mt Severn: Sedgemere (walk around Dog Stream Block)
- Travellers/Alma: Sedgemere
Alternatively choose a hunting block which is more accessible.
Check alerts for Awatere Valley Road closure information:
Note: A hunting permit does not guarantee road access
An activity permit for driving access to your hunting block will not be issued when the road is closed due to winter weather and farming operations except in exceptional circumstances.
Other access
- Limited access to Eastern Zone across Clarence River.
- Tramping over Severn Saddle from the top of the Leatham Valley into the Northern Zone (Severn Valley).
Rafters/kayakers
Travel down the Clarence sometimes to hunt the Eastern Zone.
You can hunt the Eastern Zone five non-exclusive riverside blocks under one permit if the blocks are open:
- Bullen
- Clarence Faces
- Tweed
- Elliot
- Lizard
However, during the roar these become single blocks with exclusive access.
Maps
NZTopo50 maps: BS24, BS25, BT24, BT25, BT26.
A map of the boundaries of each block is available below.
Maps of individual blocks:
- Alma (PDF, 3,908K)
- Beggs (PDF, 4,020K)
- Big Bush (PDF, 4,050K)
- Blinkers (PDF, 3,744K)
- Bottom Acheron (PDF, 3,742K)
- Boundary (PDF, 3,933K)
- Bullen (PDF, 3,883K)
- Bullock Gully (PDF, 3,789K)
- Bunkers (PDF, 3,839K)
- Cat Creek (PDF, 4,065K)
- Chimney (PDF, 3,918K)
- Clarence Faces (PDF, 4,081K)
- Crimea (PDF, 4,028K)
- Dillon (PDF, 4,031K)
- Dog Stream (PDF, 3,994K)
- Elliot (PDF, 4,114K)
- Five Mile (PDF, 3,952K)
- Half Moon (PDF, 4,296K)
- Lake McRae (PDF, 4,205K)
- Lizard (PDF, 3,956K)
- Long Gully (PDF, 3,908K)
- Makuratawhai (PDF, 4,075K)
- McGuires (PDF, 3,818K)
- Mid Alma (PDF, 4,005K)
- Mt Scott (PDF, 3,897K)
- Mt Servern (PDF, 4,117K)
- Pig Trough (PDF, 3,910K)
- Sawnee (PDF, 3,312K)
- Super Shed (PDF, 3,795K)
- Timms (PDF, 3,881K)
- Travellers (PDF, 3,975K)
- Turks (PDF, 3,909K)
- Tweed (PDF, 4,002K)
- Upper Acheron (PDF, 4,297K)
- Upper Alma (PDF, 3,916K)
- Upper Saxton (PDF, 3,945K)
- Upper Severn (PDF, 3,967K)
- Upper Wairau (PDF, 3,943K)
- Yarra (PDF, 4,142K)
Map of no hunting zones (PDF, 3,786K)
Dogs
No dogs permitted.
Huts
Additional information
There are no WARO activities allowed in this area.
For further mapping and access information refer to Walking Access Aotearoa or DOC maps.
Special conditions for Molesworth
Any breaches of the conditions will be taken seriously and all members of the party will be excluded from hunting on Molesworth Recreation Reserve for a period of two years.
- This permit allows permit/holder/s to hunt rabbits and hares alongside animals listed under Standard conditions. It does not allow for the hunting of Canada Geese, Gamebirds or Possums.
- Blocks may only be booked up to 6 months in advance.
- Only one block may be booked by each hunting party at one time.
- No consecutive weeks can be booked.
- You may only book a block once per month and no more than three times in a 6 month period (1 January–30 June, and 1 July–31 December), whether you are a hunter or non-hunter.
- Maximum 8 people on each permit (6 Hunters/Non-Hunters with the addition of 2 Non-Hunters only).
- Each member of the party must be on the permit (hunting and non-hunting) or you are in breach of the conditions.
- You are only permitted to hunt in your allocated block.
- Holding a permit does not guarantee sole use of an area. Recreational users such as trampers, horse trekkers or mountain bikers may be present in any area at any time.
- Permit holders can access their hunting block via other hunting blocks but hunting on blocks other than the one specially on this permit is forbidden.
- Check pesticide summaries for information on any 1080 operations before you hunt.
- Wilding pine control by helicopter may also be carried out at any time during the year. Weed control staff will be informed of any hunters in the areas they are working.
- This permit may be cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances including extreme weather, fire risk, earthquake and road conditions/road closure.
- A hunting permit does not guarantee road access.
- Vehicle access is only allowed on Acheron Road during the road open period (Saturday of Labour Weekend until Easter Monday or the second Sunday in April, whichever is the later date). Vehicle access is also allowed on the Tophouse Road and Clarence Valley Road all year around via Hanmer (weather permitting). There is no public vehicle access on farm tracks or use of quad bikes.
- No public access to Landcorp huts, and operational areas at Molesworth Homestead, Tarndale, Red Gate, Bush Gully and the Guide.
- Your permit must be carried while in Molesworth Recreation Reserve. If you are leaving a vehicle on the roadside, leave a copy of the permit visible on the dashboard. Vehicles may be left up to 50 m from the Acheron Rd. Make sure your vehicles are not blocking gates or access ways.
- Fires are prohibited in the reserve except for facilities provided in huts.
- Camping is not permitted in the Acheron Road corridor. You must camp at least 300 m from and out of sight of the Acheron, Clarence and Tophouse Roads, camping is allowed for the duration of this permit (7 days).
- There is strictly no helicopter use for recreational hunting or other recreational activities on Molesworth Recreation Reserve.
- No dogs.
- A concession is required from DOC to use a drone on public conservation land.
Standard hunting permit conditions
- Permits only allow for ground-based non-commercial hunting of deer, pigs, goats, chamois within the timeframe specified unless otherwise stated in the ‘special conditions’. This permit also allows the permit/holder/s to hunt rabbits and hares. This permit does not allow for the hunting of Canada Geese, Gamebirds or Possums.
- Permits do not entitle the holder to enter any area held under lease or where access is restricted by the DOC. For details about land held under lease or restricted areas, contact the nearest DOC office.
- Permits do not confer a right of access except by way of defined legal roads or rights of way. Permission to cross any private land must be obtained from the owner.
- Permits do not confer the right to take vehicles or dogs onto public conservation land, unless otherwise stated in the special conditions of that permit.
- Only centre fire rifles of calibre .222 Remington or larger may be used for hunting, or crossbows and bows that meet the minimum standard specified by DOC. Shotguns, rimfire rifles and .22 hornet are excluded.
- Hunters wishing to use a firearm must abide by the conditions of the Arms Act.
- No firearm is to be discharged in the vicinity of huts, tracks, campsites, road-ends or any other public place in a manner that endangers property, or endangers, frightens or annoys members of the public.
- Absolutely no spotlighting. Hunting wild animals during the hours of darkness (1/2 hour after sunset to 1/2 hour before sunrise) is prohibited.
- Permits are not transferable and must be produced on demand to any authorised person, and may at any time be cancelled by public notice or by email or letter.
- Carcasses, offal and rubbish must not be left near or in visitor facilities or waterways.
Bow hunting minimum criteria:
- Minimum drawing weight factor 15 kg (35 lb).
- Minimum diameter of two opposing blades is 22 mm (7/8 in).
- Only non-barbed hunting arrows are permissible.
- Arrows with any poison, explosive or other chemical substance on or in the head or shaft are not permitted.
Crossbow minimum criteria:
- Minimum drawing weight factor 68 kg ( 150 lb).
- Minimum diameter of multi-bladed head is 22 mm (7/8 in).
- Minimum length of complete arrow is 400 mm (16 in).
- Only non-barbed hunting arrows are permissible.
- Hunting arrows must not be placed into a loaded crossbow under any circumstances unless target is located. Crossbow must have a positive mechanical safety device in working order.
- Arrows with any poison, explosive or other chemical substance on or in the head or shaft are not permitted.
All breach of any of the standard or 'special conditions' renders this permit null and void and may result in prosecution.
Disclaimer
The applicant shall indemnify the Department of Conservation and Landcorp Farming against all claims by any person in respect of injury, loss or damage (including fire damage) caused by or arising out of any act of omission of the Applicants, its servants, agents, contractors, clients or invitees, or otherwise caused as a consequence of its use of the reserve or as a result of the conduct of the permit holder.
Contacts
| DOC Customer Service Centre | |
|---|---|
| Phone | 0800 275 362 |
| renwick@doc.govt.nz | |
| Address | DOC offices |
