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G'day,
I'm hoping to visit the South Island of NZ sometime hire a campervan and see a bit and try do a hunt in NZ while I'm there.
Any suggestions or tips appreciated. I have one forum freind to visit but the wife and I have never been to New Zealand. Not fussed what I hunt and happy to share the spoils of the hunt as I'm not a trophy hunter.
Will consider going with an out fitter if there is a management hunt option etc.
West coast best coast.
What do you want to hunt?
How fit are you?
Do you have any experiance in the bush or mountains?
the options are endless....waterfowl in May/June/July
wallabies all year around...LOL photos to your mates at home. same with possums.opossums and rabbits galore. hares everywhere
deer are in higher numbers than ever before,thar are still around,chammy can be found if know where to look....
pigs are there.
when you firm up dates,finding something to hunt will be easier to organise.
@norsk Healthy, not so much fit. I do ok , I can walk ok. Will will excercising a bit a. Fast approaching 50 and now I'm trying to lose weight.
I also want to try do a few things before I get old.
I do ok in the bush, that's where I'm happy.
Shooting something like Chamois or NZ species would be good. Thinking to bring one hunting rifle, happy to shoot rabbits hare etc.
No proper mountains in Western NSW. I'm in for a shock. I have a Mountain Rifle. My lightweight .280ai
I've been in hilly coastal country of Eastern NSW fighting fires.
Happy to pay for access or pay my way but I'm not after a trophy. I've shot Fallow Deer, never shot a Red deer. Might have a chance to pursue Sambar here.
Arapawa sheep would be interesting . We don't see Sheep as a Huntable species in Australia, but there a maybe a couple of places.
I like shooting pigs, would shoot all pests if it's legal. Our Kangaroos and all Natives are protected so harvesting requires a licence.
Not looking to hunt high and hard like a proper hunter. Never seen snow and don't like the cold. Will camp out but hoping to hire a camper for the duration (wife likes the scenery).
@Micky Duck dates are opportunistic. If things relax I hope to travel within 18 months
Looking for advice on what approvals I need to bring and carry a rifle. Do I need to prove I have something lined up? Can I hunt public land as a visitor?
I'm even open to using a helicopter to access an area, just not wanting to pay a full blown trophy hunt because I don't want a trophy head.
Completed a management hunt in South Africa with great success, now for a different country.
Hoping to get some feedback and if I can meet up with some forum members that would be great.
public land as visitor no worries..... online search will tell you what rules n regs are for bringing in rifle to use here....
Hunting any public land is open to anyone with a FREE permit applied for here. https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-re...unting-permit/
Public land can be found on this map by opening DoC features and selecting 'open hunting areas'
https://www.doc.govt.nz/map/index.html
As @Micky Duck said, once you are here I'm sure some of us on here could point you to an area with something to shoot.
If you are an Aussie and you are here, you may as well find someone to go shoot possums with. You are actually doing NZ a favour...It would be a bigger favor if you could take a few of the tree bears back with you........:thumbsup:
G'day all. Thanks for replies.
Pending work /life variables I'm considering somewhere in the last 2 weeks of June this year as a possibility.
What's the weather and hunting like in general late June?
How cold is it?
Just considering the timing at present, it could work. Can you survive in a campervan in that weather?
Late June can be pretty cold. Can be fine settled weather. Might not be much snow about, but then it could be shit. Good for tahr rut and chamois winter coats.
June is a dry cold and really the end of autumn so the miserable wet cold of later in the year is a few months away.
You wont be getting round in shorts and thongs but it is easily coped with in decent clothing. Some heavy frosts but days usually bright and often warm-ish.
Campervans have heaters so not a concern about cold
@CBH Australia It is a bit like asking what the weather will be like in that Slumburbian shit hole of Melbourne with its 4 seasons in a day , that far out ,seeing you have your missus along in a Camper Van & from Broken Hill that would be as late as l would plan it & the camper will be doing a bit of its own rocking in the winds even then .
From memory June last year on the Farm we were in near drought conditions, with shit house constant winds drying everything out & then first weeks of July we had bad wide spread floods & gale force winds , causing major road blockages/slips/trees down & even bridge/crossing wash outs & the down here in the South it rained for months afterwards ,where after the winds of the flood event old established trees simply started falling due to ground saturation & the root ball hole would be pumping out water .
IMO seeing it is summer there look around for PROPER winter clothing sales & stock up before you get here ,you will need it after Broken Hill & use it again on the next trip as if you like hunting you will be back.
Enjoy your trip :thumbsup:
Sorry mate but it has to be asked CBH?
In my yoof it normally meant a sheila has Child Bearing Hips! Often linked to a curvy waist.
OK, back to my beer:yaeh am not durnk: (it’s 35C here!)
:P:P:PQuote:
Originally Posted by Finnwolf
@CBH Australia Just to reinforce my point about getting some decent winter clothing while they on sale in summer over there ,we just pulled the pin on our plans for the weekend Jet Boat hunt here in the height of summer as we are looking at the Westcoast has a king tide tonight and a forecast of up to 550-700mm to fall along the coast in the next 3 days with high winds .
It has shut Arthur’s pass and isolated towns along the westcoast as well & mate from down there said they had a huge Knock' em Down storm go through & cut a swathe through the trees at the back of his joint like a flying D9 . They have us on what they call a Red Alert Weather event , so like l say it makes predicting Melbourne weather look easy & if you can bring it forward l would look at doing it ,for non trophy hunting it will make no difference but will most likely for life in the camper.
Bring enough coin to cross the ferry in case the South Island weather shits itself
In the middle of the North Island I/we can easily show you free campsites with great fresh water fishing and Red and Sika deer hunting just outside the campervan
The east coast weather here is like California, and currently in a proper drought :)
@bunji thanks for that. Definitely bringing warm clothes or buying a Swandrii.Quote:
Originally Posted by 7mmsaum
I'm not shorts and thongs person. Maybe at the River on a hot day
As for the Ferry, anything is possible. I'm definitely trying to do this on a budget but planning to expect the unexpected. If I do it right I can do it better next time.
There's a slot in late May that we also considered or we defer for a bit. I started out planning around seeing my friend on the South Island.
I was hoping to squeeze a lot in about 10 days but maybe I should fly in on the South island and fly out from the North. I live a day from an international airport before I start.
Open to suggestions, I've never been there, yet. Time, budget and plans are all flexible as long as we can fit it.
I'm a shooter who likes hunting or shooting pests. We are now at a point that we can travel a bit and I figure since NZ seems pretty hunter freindly and we are neighbours I'm happy to bring my rifle. ( I hired 1 in Africa)
Taking it all in.
Edit,
Meant to add, I'm happy to chat with all members. If I get to hunt with 1 or 2 that would be great. I'm happy to pay my way and share the spoils. All o want to bring home is my new warm clothes, my rifle and my Sheila. She wants to travel so trying to make it happen.
@CBH Australia You will be fine ,when you work out what dates suits best let the forum know & you will most likely find you will not even need to bring a rifle this time. The trouble is with the timing for here, we are just coming out of lock down,maybe ??? & taking us as a example we have not been to see our friends or relatives in the North Island for 2 yrs .
I am part of a syndicate in a Bertram 31 Sportsfisher /Dive boat moored in BOP where my brother lives & l have not been able to set foot on it in 2yrs & the neighborhood my brother lives in just had its own Chyna Flu out break after xmas ,so no guesses what we will be doing as soon as this Cluster fuck is sorted out .
If it turns out we are still cut off & at home you are more than welcome to stay at the Farm ,we can go hunting local or l can take you out in the Jet Boat for a real Kiwi hunt experience , but that would be a overnighter , our Farm was set up as a B&B so if your missus wants a break from the Van you can stay in one of the self contained apartments while we go hunting & if she likes horses there is currently 22 in the stables , no need to bring anything apart from yourselves. But like l say the only fly in the ointment is everyone is hanging out to visit those they have not seen for so long without the threat of being caught up in a bureaucratic cluster fuck ,no one with a IQ over 12 would trust a word the politician morons dribble,the coming outbreak in the next couple of weeks of the new variety & their Knee Jerk reaction will be the mark of what really happens .
Wow, so many people offering help. When we went to South Africa we actually took just one backpack each , approx 30litres, not big. First big trip and with staff offering daily laundry and a moderate climate. Being Africa we were not going to let anything out of our sight. Missed luggage, corruption and excess fees. We were not taking any chances.
We actually got home and settled shortly before this whole Wu Flu was announced.
It's been a pain here and has stuffed our plans a few times. Our kids in their 20s live in Adelaide. Sometimes the state borders are closed. Twice we made plans and a snap lock down closed them the night before we were leaving.
Definitely trying to make something happen. Hopefully it will be this year.
A guy from Broken Hill asks what weather to expect in SI in June. I suggest you think of your coldest Broken Hill frosty nights and expect it to not get much warmer during the day and you'll get the idea. Then if it does get warm it's a bonus. If you really don't like the cold you could consider coming in summer.
When my Aussie in-laws come visit the first thing I do is head off to a paddock of long grass and walk straight through it without checking what's down there. Amuses my small mind everytime, after a lifetimes conditioning to farming in the Australian subtropics and they just can't walk straight through long grass like we can over here. Not much will kill you... (here except exposure, flodds, landslides, falling trees etc) :yaeh am not durnk:.
Ben, if you know Broken Hill you know I won't be familiar with grass like that. Not many parts do.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ben Waimata
I forgot you don't have anything venemous. Life's tough in Australia, any wrong step could kill you. Lol.
Our snakes and spiders have venemous varieties. I don't think too many get bitten but unfortunately it can be fatal. Early treatment saves lives but it's not a pleasent experience.
That doesn't keep us out of the bush. You won't trip over a crocodile unless you are up north, even Broken Hill is too cold for them.
New Zealand is known for beautiful scenery and landscapes, seems like Australia is known for its venemous critters.
Hey @CBH Australia I have been to BH but only very briefly, I lived on the NSW far north coast where my in-laws were farming bananas in the subtropical rainforest around Mt Warning, where the grass sure grows tall as soon as the cattle are taken away. My experience was being bitten by ants and other insects, stung by hornets, almsst tripped over red-belly blacks and brown snakes on numerous occaisons, had a huntsman climb over the side of my face, got bitten by a carpet snake, carried covered banana bunches on many occaisons to latter find them infested with snakes, spiders, rats, you name it. Yeah NZ is pretty boring in comparison, although my Aussie wife (who to be fair has now lived in NZ longer than she did in Australia) still finds huhu beetle offensive for some reason...:wtfsmilie:Quote:
Originally Posted by CBH Australia
Ben, don't be taking our Aussie girls over there. As she from up that way she may have got sick of tripping over Red Belly Black snakes. I saw quite a few while riding the model trans with the kids at Lismore. Mother in Law is now at Casino. Would anyone like to export her?
We have a few venemous snakes locally. But you always see them but we do avoid them in we see them first.
I will never look at Bananas the same way. One of the few fruits I, used to enjoy.
Sadly I never appreciated our stay in Broken Hill.
We were halfway between Port Augusta and BH when our Holden started to overheat.
Opened bonnet and saw a trail of water coming from up under the manifold.
First thing to note is those place names on the map are not towns, zilch, nothing.
Fortunately we had water on board so limped into BH just on 5 pm on a Friday. The Holden dealership mechanics were naturally not interested.
I bought a selection of frost plugs from parts and thence to our caravan park where I stripped off the inlet manifold expecting to find a leaking plug. Alas, no, a crack in the block. Next morning I got some leak sealant and added that.
The whole episode put a downer on our stay. We did get out to Silverton but that was about it.
We had a 900 k trip to get home to Tyabb Vic. One eye glued to the temp gauge all the time although after a few top ups she settled down and the leak took up.
I did get to have a beer though in the pub with the huge island bar in Mildura.
One thing that caught my attention was the number of empty beer cans on both sides of the highway to Mildura. Is it still like that @CBH Australia We tried counting how many per kilometer to keep the kids entertained.
Snakes and other creapie crawlies - we had our share of snakes. I stupidly caught 2 tiger snakes and killed them. My wife was screaming at me throughout calling me a stupid bastard. She was probably right as on both occassions IIRC I was in shorts and jandals.
We lived rural. Neighbour across the road, whose house had scrub right up to it, killed 7 one summer.
Too late for that mate, we're coming towards 26th wedding anniversary now and we've live in NZ almost all that time. My wife sounds like a kiwi now so you lot probably don't want her back. So does this mean your wife is from Lismore? Lismore was where my wife worked before we got married, about 30-40 minute drive from her home. I spent a lot of time in Lismore for a while there, did no shooting though apart from a few rabbits on a mates farm near Urbenville. I've got a sister-in-law in Casino too. I do like it around that coastal NE NSW area, despite all the local critters who want to kill you.Quote:
Originally Posted by CBH Australia
Sadly cans along the road do happen, maybe less now. Sometimes people collect them and that helps. People are more consciuos of doing the right thing.
G'day all, still hoping to plan something. Wanting to PMA few.
Stuff happening but hope to maybe try for this year if it's possible