Thread: Mangatawhiri / Hunua access

Hey @moonhunt cheers for the advice and info, I'll definitely look in to it!
@Hunt4life do you know if they still hold good numbers of goats or even pig cause I know a little while back they did have commercial cullers going though there reducing the numbers of goats

@thomas yes, plenty of pigs. Very wary and know how to outwit and outrun dogs as they get hammered all year round. Basically, they never stop to fight in a bail, they just bolt and don't stop until the dogs give up chase. So you'll need fast and hard hold dogs if you want to be successful. As for goats, I haven't seen any, but my wife has on one walk a couple of years ago. The Council employ cullers to go thru on seek and destroy missions each year, so numbers in the Hunua/Paparimu area at least are very low. I've never encountered them on the Kaiaua side either. If they're in the OHA in any numbers, I'll be surprised.

Yeah iv seen the odd goat up around some of the the main reservoirs but that's about it never actually been in to the hunting Block there! as for catching those cunning pigs I don't have dogs so guess that rules me out haha

Ok report on Mangatawhiri Forest recce mission today. I arrived walked up the DoC track for about 1km before leaving the track and heading up a spur toward the first main ridge. About half way up I spotted a young Totara which had been beaten up by either a young Red or Pricket Fallow. Surprising and encouraging so I kept at a fast tramp up to the top about 280m ASL, and counted about eight more trees similarly beaten up, like this.

All the notches and bark damage was very low to the ground, which I haven't encountered before while hunting Reds and Sika. So I can only predict that this was one small spiker making his way down the leading ridge, looking for somewhere to call home.
I only found two piles of very old deer pellets and absolutely no hoof prints, after spending 6hours medium paced tramping and covering about 6kms of country, walking back down Mangatawhiri River to the car park.


So, while I'm glad I've done it, I think the opportunity for success is pretty futile and time is much better served driving the two hours down to Kaimais where at least we know there are deer in numbers and there's always plenty of fresh sign to keep me keen.
If any of you guys have a go I'd be keen to hear how you get on.

Cheers.

Originally Posted by moonhunt

Have a play with this Maps and geospatial services: About DOC

And have a play with this Walking Access Mapping System

Bookmarked....big thanks Moonhunt

Good on you for posting an honest report

sweet

we went down to do some work out our pond well dry pond and there were pig tracks in the soft mud
so might have to go and have a look down there at some point

Always honest Moonhunt

DOC has just been given the green light to dump 1080 in the Hunua Ranges next year. This should be of concern to Aucklanders as that is where the water supply comes from.

Originally Posted by Dundee

DOC has just been given the green light to dump 1080 in the Hunua Ranges next year. This should be of concern to Aucklanders as that is where the water supply comes from.

They did that round 15 years ago when I was in Hunua, choppers flying for a week or so. There was hardly any publicity accept the usual landowner notifications and signs going up. Cant remember any reports of dead Aucklanders though. The place was closed for months and boy did the birds come back 18 months afterwards.
The ranger at cosseys at the time didn't reckon the pig numbers dropped at all in fact went up cause of no hunting pressure.
Goats were reasonably plentiful then but I never saw a deer. I used to go in at the end of Matheson road, and hunt the mangatawhiri river area quite an easy walk in but through private property probably not on now.
Forgot to add sometimes walked out to the end of Lyons road, got to know the winemaker at hotel du vin and spent some entertaining evenings there shooting rabbits and grape gobbling little birdies, developed a bit of a taste for wine there as well as you do. Wonder if it's still going?

I went for a walk up from end of lyons road a few months back and there were goat skins hanging on a fence up there (maybe 6 or 7) walked round for a few hours so only find goat prints no sign of pig or deer, when arrivng back to car a few young guys came down on quad with bow in hand and they said plenty goats up there if you know where to look, so they are up there just have to put in some yards. As for deer i have a mate who lives a km or so north of lyons road and property backs on to bush and there are alot of deer up there. They tend to know where they are safe around there, switched on

"A lot of deer up there"... I'd like to see proof of that. If you're referring to the bush block off Paparata Road, then yes, I hear the same. I also hear the private land owners don't let anyone in there and are trying to crack down hard on poachers since some monkey started a bush fire about a year ago.
Same story goes for Winstone Quarry... We hear there are deer in there, but no one is given permission to hunt. If anyone finds private access to hunt anywhere in the Papakura-Hunua area and actually manages to find a deer and shoot it, then bloody good on ya. I'd rather spend my time hunting where I know there are indeed plentiful animals, like the Kaimais, Rotorua Lakes, Whirinaki/Te Urewera, Kaimanawas, Pureora etc.

heading down to the hunuas this weekend to have a look at a private block on the kaiawa side

The Lyons rd winery is now the rural campus for Dilworth boys school. I know cos we had a look at it earlier this year. No grapes now


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Originally Posted by tiroatedson

The Lyons rd winery is now the rural campus for Dilworth boys school. I know cos we had a look at it earlier this year. No grapes now


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Confirmed. My grandson spent his first year at Dilworth down there.