Mt Burke Creek hunting

Located in Lake Wānaka hunting in the Otago region

Red deer, fallow deer and pigs can be hunted in the Mt Burke Creek hunting block, which consists of the eastern faces of Matatiaho Conservation Area, taking in most the Mt Burke Creek catchment.

About this hunting block

Animals present are red deer, fallow deer and pigs in low to moderate numbers.

Booking Lake Wānaka Faces and Mount Burke Creek hunting blocks

Bookings for the Lake Wānaka Faces and Mount Burke Creek hunting blocks for the period 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027 (excluding the Roar period) will open at 8:30 am on Tuesday 2 June 2026.

Permits will be assigned on a first come, first served basis, with priority given to those attending in person at the DOC office in Wānaka.

Due to a building project, access will be via MacPherson Street – signage in place. Park in the Visitor Centre carpark and walk to the MacPherson Street entrance. See map (PDF, 1,000K).

If you can't attend yourself, you can send someone to book on your behalf. We recommend sending a person who is not also booking for themselves, otherwise they will have to queue twice. 

Email and phone bookings

If you can’t attend or arrange for someone to attend for you, you can phone +64 3 443 7660 or +64 27 269 6871, or email wanakavc@doc.govt.nz   from 10:00 am on Tuesday 2 June.

How it works

Hunters can receive a permit for up to three consecutive days in each block. Although there are no restrictions on the number of permits hunters can acquire for the blocks each season, one permit must be used before another can be acquired for the same block. For example, a hunter with a permit for Lake Wānaka Faces for 21 to 23 September won’t be able to acquire another permit for Lake Wānaka Faces until 24 September (subject to availability).

General information

This block consists of the eastern faces of Matatiaho Conservation Area, which take in most the Mt Burke Creek catchment. The terrain is steep and covered in a mix of beech/tawhai forest, scrub and tussock grassland.

The Mt Burke Creek block is restricted. You need to get a permit (issued for three days at a time only) specifically for this block, from the DOC Wānaka Area Office. In addition, this block is balloted for the roar period during the months of March and April.

See Wānaka roar block system.

Safari hunting operates throughout the year on Glen Dene Station which borders to the north - hunting outside the conservation land boundaries is prohibited.

Contractors for TBfree may undertake aerial monitoring work in this block for animal health inspections. The block will not be exclusive during this period and an effort to notify the permit holder will be made in advance of the work.

Access

From Wānaka take the Haast Highway (SH6). 23 km north of Wānaka there is a car park at the Craig Burn. From here a kilometre of walking track joins a 4WD track leading a few hundred metres further to the Craig Burn. There is no formed track from this point, and the terrain is steep, scrubby and rocky.

Firearms and dogs are not permitted on the Stewart Creek/Glen Dene Ridge Tracks.

Maps

NZTopo50 series: CA12, CA13

Mt Burke Creek hunting block map (PDF, 2267K)

Dogs

Dogs are allowed in this block with a hunting permit. If accessing the block over private land, you must have landholder permission to take your dog.

Pesticides

Check for current pesticide operations that may be in progress where you intend to hunt using the pesticide summary map.

Prohibited firearms

The use of shotguns, shotgun-rifle combos, .22 calibre and rim-fire firearms are prohibited on public conservation land unless stated otherwise.

Fires

Before lighting a fire on public conservation land, check it's alright to light. Extinguish all fires before leaving huts and campsites. How to minimise the risk of fire.