Thread: **New discovery, Legal access!?**

okay so I'm quite new to hunting so please forgive how dumb I sound/ really am...

So I have only been hunting road access blocks because I assumed farmers land was farmers land, and wanted to respect that.... I have only looked on DOC website for hunting areas because of this.

I recently had a friend over and he told me about legal access? apparently you can legally walk in the purple zones seen on an app called "pocket maps" to access some blocks.

This opens up a few blocks to me that I thought were land locked.

Just confirming this is correct before I get shot by an angry farmer. What are the rules? will farmers still get angry? should I be careful or embrace my new discovered rights and get after it?

Any info will be a big help.

Thanks

I'd suggest calling the farmer regardless of right, might even mean they let you through and easier part of the farm to get to doc land etc, a small gift of appreciation is generally well received if that be the case

Originally Posted by distant stalker

I'd suggest calling the farmer regardless of right, might even mean they let you through and easier part of the farm to get to doc land etc, a small gift of appreciation is generally well received if that be the case

+1
We access our duck posi via a public easement which uses a farmer's raceway. Although we have 'rights', we check in each season, regain permission to cross his land and drop in some beers and salami. Nothing gets farmers off side more that someone who thinks they have 'rights' (and I grew up farming).

Most farners will respect you for asking,which will be in your favour most of the time.
Good luck.

Okay, fair enough and makes sense. I will be asking and bringing beer. So what happens if they have legal access on their land but they don't give permission or they have the legal access but are not home?

Originally Posted by cally woo

Okay, fair enough and makes sense. I will be asking and bringing beer. So what happens if they have legal access on their land but they don't give permission or they have the legal access but are not home?

If there is legal access then you only have to inform them of your intentions, don't turn up with beers under one arm and a rifle in the other....legal access laws were written in the days before motor vehicles, surprising how many want access for their vehicle as they don't want to walk....if they are not home leave a note with your vehicle at their house and walk.

The first time I walked up the Whataroa I looked on the Doc website and it says right there that the first km or so from the carpark is private land owned by Dave Friend and says you must contact Dave before crossing his land. I gave him a call and he was blown away, there must be hundreds and hundreds of people that walk that route every year and he said the phone hardly ever rings.

Originally Posted by Ryan_Songhurst

The first time I walked up the Whataroa I looked on the Doc website and it says right there that the first km or so from the carpark is private land owned by Dave Friend and says you must contact Dave before crossing his land. I gave him a call and he was blown away, there must be hundreds and hundreds of people that walk that route every year and he said the phone hardly ever rings.

Pretty common theme on many of the large catchments we hunt, most people don’t bother. We always do. It’s always appreciated


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Common courtesy should be your calling card. It costs bugger all, sometimes opens doors otherwise closed and goes a long way toward painting our passion/hobby in a much better light.

most of the purple zones ive seen on pocket maps follow rivers and are known as marginal strips, you can stay within x distance of river as this is considered public land

Originally Posted by muzza

If it was me , I would go out and make myself known to the farmer in advance of wanting to cross his land. No guns , no dog , no hunting related gear.

Most farmers hate being put on the spot and having to make a decision right away. If you obviously dont want to go through his land today , but have made the effort to meet him and seek his permission , that is worth far more pixie points than forcing him to make a decision as you stand there with you hunting gear.

Had this with fishermen all the time when I owned a dairy farm.. Be polite , accept it if he says no , or puts some condition on your entry - like lambing time etc.

I concur that courtesy is appropriate ( isn't it always?) and may well be the easiest way of getting what you want. However, if you are looking to use a 'paper road' then you won't be setting foot on his property?

I prefer to view those situations as no different to a formed legal road ...... adjoining property owners don't have 'a paper road running through their property' , they have property either side of a 'paper road'.

Originally Posted by cally woo

okay so I'm quite new to hunting so please forgive how dumb I sound/ really am...

So I have only been hunting road access blocks because I assumed farmers land was farmers land, and wanted to respect that.... I have only looked on DOC website for hunting areas because of this.

I recently had a friend over and he told me about legal access? apparently you can legally walk in the purple zones seen on an app called "pocket maps" to access some blocks.

This opens up a few blocks to me that I thought were land locked.

Just confirming this is correct before I get shot by an angry farmer. What are the rules? will farmers still get angry? should I be careful or embrace my new discovered rights and get after it?

Any info will be a big help.

Thanks

there are many types of public access - all on here who say talk to farmer first are bang on - but many farmers do not respect public access and regard it as their land so ask first - okay public access can be a no of things and yes map systems will quite often blanket them with a coloured zone to designate private from public so in order 1) public road - was surveyed as a road - may have been formed - may have been used in years gone by - no longer maintained by Local Council - designated beyond peg by Council which means no longer maintained by them -yes legal access but local farmer is using grazing it regards it as part of his farm and that's the problem - if he states no you have the legal right to use it after all it is not his land - you have the legal right - this is a really common problem - see your Council and make sure of your legal position - and send letter to farmer and try to meet with him to assure him you are not a threat - but dont back down you have the legal right to use what is a public road good luck 2) Marginal strip - well at end of day its just paper lines on a map - but has been surveyed - or at least recognized as a legal piece of land owned by the crown -its not a formed road and really only exits on a map - its a strip between a river and private property - original intention was to provide access -but could be fenced of - or impossible to use as an access because of slips etc - GOVT land i.e our land public land -administered by LINZ (Land Information NZ ) they are not bloody interested so thread cautious like with this one -3 ) Queens Chain- exits only as writing on a piece of paper -not surveyed as its only a right - its not actually a piece of land - its simply that any stream or river over 4 metres wide ( I think thats right ) a person may walk along that river and exercise his QUEENS RIGHT TO DO SO - WARNING - that may not include carrying a rifle - 4)-there are others such as old road reserves - special purpose reserves -gravel extraction Reserves etc surveyed out years ago some administerd by DOC others LINZ both will not be interested unless you are prepared for a real tussle - most will not have staff who even could be bothered with finding files from years ago i.e 1890 but if the river has changed course mean time well may not still be a feasible access - so after all of that - its Farmer first - then Council - good luck - after 35 years in DOC going into bat for hunters and trying to get them the access they were legally entitled to success rate was not that high - Councils just not interested

Originally Posted by Barry the hunter

there are many types of public access - all on here who say talk to farmer first are bang on - but many farmers do not respect public access and regard it as their land so ask first - okay public access can be a no of things and yes map systems will quite often blanket them with a coloured zone to designate private from public so in order 1) public road - was surveyed as a road - may have been formed - may have been used in years gone by - no longer maintained by Local Council - designated beyond peg by Council which means no longer maintained by them -yes legal access but local farmer is using grazing it regards it as part of his farm and that's the problem - if he states no you have the legal right to use it after all it is not his land - you have the legal right - this is a really common problem - see your Council and make sure of your legal position - and send letter to farmer and try to meet with him to assure him you are not a threat - but dont back down you have the legal right to use what is a public road good luck 2) Marginal strip - well at end of day its just paper lines on a map - but has been surveyed - or at least recognized as a legal piece of land owned by the crown -its not a formed road and really only exits on a map - its a strip between a river and private property - original intention was to provide access -but could be fenced of - or impossible to use as an access because of slips etc - GOVT land i.e our land public land -administered by LINZ (Land Information NZ ) they are not bloody interested so thread cautious like with this one -3 ) Queens Chain- exits only as writing on a piece of paper -not surveyed as its only a right - its not actually a piece of land - its simply that any stream or river over 4 metres wide ( I think thats right ) a person may walk along that river and exercise his QUEENS RIGHT TO DO SO - WARNING - that may not include carrying a rifle - 4)-there are others such as old road reserves - special purpose reserves -gravel extraction Reserves etc surveyed out years ago some administerd by DOC others LINZ both will not be interested unless you are prepared for a real tussle - most will not have staff who even could be bothered with finding files from years ago i.e 1890 but if the river has changed course mean time well may not still be a feasible access - so after all of that - its Farmer first - then Council - good luck - after 35 years in DOC going into bat for hunters and trying to get them the access they were legally entitled to success rate was not that high - Councils just not interested

In regards to the Queen's Chain (or is that now King's Chain) I think the stream or waterway has to originate in DoC/Crown land....of course I could be wrong, just something I remember from years ago dealing with Forest Services for hunting permits.

Great summary

And I thought the definition for the Kings chain was a navigatable water way.

Also note on the paper road/public access. The access is exactly where it is in the map and in some places this may make it impassable. Ie a river may have cut across it, or s slip or gorge may impede access. if you forced the issue in these cases with the landowner the minute you step off the easement around a tree or slip etc you are tresspasing.
Much easier to call by a few weeks earlier after you have done you home work and with copies printed out.

Ps some guys have been burnt before so take that into consideration.
Z