Thread: Kaikōura 2024

There doesn’t seem to be as many stories as there used to be, in the good ole days, so I thought I could knock up another one.

We’ve been returning to this area since 2011 and have had many great trips, over the years the area has significantly changed as the tracks have been hit by slips and the area by earthquakes. For a period we used to stay at a local camp site and have showers every night after a hard day on the hills. We roughed it for a few of the more recent trips, but now there’s a cafe at the bottom of the hill, luxury!
Over the years we travelled up to the top via our feet, motorbikes, quads and a Suzuki Jimny, it’s always an adventure and I’ve made videos of most trips. Travel has always been dependant on the state of the track and wether you can get through the rocks that DOC place at the entrance.
This years crew was my son James, and two mates Ben and Kane, we took the quad to shuttle some of the gear up and down the hill, it meant we could take some luxuries; this is by no means a quad hunt, the days are full and involve some steep accents and descents, animals are had earned.

The quick version comes in video format

https://youtu.be/_n_p3UZX55k?si=Mh2pfd5NJPjLcfH-

We caught an earlier ferry this time and after some shopping in Blenheim managed to get everyone up the hill, shoot a pig on the way and get camp set up in time for some glassing on the first evening, we saw a number of animals but chose not to pull the trigger as it was very hot and we had a few days there.

Attachment 266079

We stuck together for the first morning hunt and went on a bit of a hikoikoi seeing a few animals, but again not shooting anything. We returned to the camp and had lunch, then James an I decided to bush stalk to the top of the ridge and then circle back to the camp. Off we went up a very steep ridge bumping some deer and chamois along the way, but not shooting anything. We were treated to some amazing views before the weather turned to crap.

Attachment 266080
Attachment 266081

We trudged on in the rain and mist along the ridge, missing all the awesome views and high number of animals that were probably around. We returned to the camp as it really pissed down and got changed into some warm cloths. I’d secretly packed a second pair of puffer pants for James and we both felt a lot better after jumping into them and having a hot feed. Puffer pants are next level and I suggest you get some if you get cold sitting around the camp after a hard day in the hill.

The following day it was Ben’s turn to try and wear out James, so Kane and I headed off on the quad to explore some of the furtherest south country whilst Ben and James returned back to the very top, on a much better day, via a different ridge. Kane and I parked the quad up on a ridge and stalked south looking for games. We split up for a bit and I spotted three pigs and a couple of long range deer. I messaged Kane and suggested he return to shoot the pigs at the same time he messaged me to inform me about a stag he’d spotted. I packed up my gear and headed off to find Kane and the stag, which we located 430 yards from an average shooting position. I had the 300 RUM and Kane had a nice new Springford Waypoint .308, I reckoned the snoozing stag was as good as dead!



It was Kane’s shot, as he spotted the deer, so we settled in and hatched a plan to ruin its day. I whistled and it turned its head, I continued to whistle until it eventually stood up and Kane fired, it looked like a miss and I sent a 210 grain Berger on its way, that looked like a miss and Kane fired again, it moved a few steps forward and I took a bit more time and carefully fired the 300 RUM one more time, the deer lurched forward as if it was hit and took off into the bush. I shot back and picked up the quad, while Kane went down to locate the stag.

By the time I’d got back to Kane, he’d found the stag and we began the boning out process.



Meanwhile the two fit younger members of the team were shooting a handful of goats and another deer with the .223 and seeing some awesome views.




We met back at the camp, had a debrief, a feed and then headed out for an evening glass. We located a couple of deer not to far away from our glassing spot and stalked in 300/350 yards from two stags. We hatched a plan to shot both of them and James talked about head shooting one with the 300 RUM, if the opportunity presented itself. He positioned himself a short distance from the three of us, whilst we set ourselves up on a massive rock. The yearling popped out and looked like it was disappearing so I quickly shot that with my 300 RSAUM at about 350 yards. James, who apparently thought he was taking the first shot, then shot the bigger stag, which was still laying down, even though a shot had whistled past it as it lay there. We dropped down the steep ridge and through the bush to the two deer




James’s stag was a real fatty and we decided he’d carry both the back legs and the back steaks, along with the heart and fillets back up the hill, Ben and I had split the yearling but James still kicked our arses as we worked our way back up the ridge. Back at the camp site we had heart and onion for dinner, we’d specially brought the onion for that purpose.



The last hunting day was very hot and we debated wether we’d go anywhere at all, eventually we decided to walk to the top once more via another, different ridge this time. At the intersection, where we’d normally park the quad I suggested we could pop down to the cafe for a ‘quick’ coffee. Bliss!




Back to reality we parked up the quad and began the steep uphill walk in the stinking hot sun, we paused half way up and found some shelter from the sun, whilst we debated wether we should continue on or not. In the end we decide to carry on and we mopped up a couple of goats as we headed to the top. This mission was all about finding James a chamois so when we ot to the top, we glassed, glassed and glassed, but saw nothing but goats. After a couple of hours we decided to bomb up some long range goats before we headed back. I knocked over a goat at 540 yards and missed a deer at around the same distance, we then headed back down to the quad. Along the way we spotted a mob of chamois that we reckoned we’d disturbed, James set up for the 350 yard shot, but none of them had any horns and we thought there was no point in shooting them.




I spotted a deer further down the ridge, so kept an eye out for that as we retreated down the hill, midway through the second to last clearing I spotted two deer feeding along the bush edge. At 165 yards I leaned on my pack and lined up on the neck, as it fed out of some broom. As I fired another deer bolted out of the bush and we let that one go, as we had plenty of venison to try and keep cool as we made our way back to Wellington.



The next day we packed everything up and loaded the quad up for the trip back down the hill and the drive back to Picton, we briefly stopped in Blenheim to buy a plastic bin and some ice to keep the venison cold that hadn’t fitted into the two chilli bins, next time we’ll take a bigger chilli bin, or stick to our back steaks only plans. The plastic bin and ice trick worked really well and the ice was still frozen when we got home and the venison was nice and cold, stashed into a heavy PVC dry bag.

What a trip, three great mates, some physically challenging days and plenty of animals. As I write this, I’m planning another trip back there, probably in April, when the stag are in the hard.

I thought grandad would have bought the boy a better knife by now?

Originally Posted by Shearer

I thought grandad would have bought the boy a better knife by now?

He’s got a range of knives already! :-)

Great write up and pics, cheers for posting
That is some steep country around there. I spent a couple of days chasing a pig hunter around the hills near there a year or so ago. If I was gonna drop dead from a heart attack it would have been then Bloody pig hunter was double timing it everywhere scaring the deer before I got near

Cool report. Good to see there is still plenty of animals around.
I haven't been in there for probably 4 years now....must get back for a trip.

Well your trip went much better than mine, great write up too.