Thread: Rainbow station..access for hunting, whats the go???

The long standing issue with the Rainbow road dates right back to when the old NZED pushed the hydro road thru on the Rainbow run.Their surveyers pegged some of it on a section of Rainbow freehold, with the majority of it formed on crown leasehold.There,s the screw up right there.Hence the toll and every bit of drama ever since.If they say no, it means no unless you wanna flash the cash. Local MP Nick Smith tried to sort out the access a few years ago, but got nowhere.Spoze the Rainbow investors wanted a Kings ransom for that few chain of freehold road

Originally Posted by deer243

Sounds abit like they have selected people they let in the off season for hunting and bad luck anyone else. Thought DOC had a agreement with them to allow access for hunting
onto DOC land. One way to manage the animal numbers. Maybe if they hardly let hunters in other than whose in the know maybe we should be be in the ear of DOC about the high number of animals in there and as you cant get access prob a good idea to bring in the green rain to control them......... might see then better response lol. Yes, no reply to second email asking whats the story, is the website wrong etc etc.
No answer to the phone call.....yes, looks like hunting the rainbow is only for the selective few and im not one of them.
Reminds me of the council up the roding and matai catchments. they say you can apply for a hunting permit as they want animal numbers controled etc.
Catch is the caretakers give them out. As they hunters they always say NO. Keep it for themselves and their mates. They dont control numbers thou, they manage them, so the council hire cullers to go in their once in awhile to
cut the animal numbers down.
If the council actually forced the caretakers to allow others in they wouldnt have that prob;lem but thts how it works i guess

To be fair....
I've hunted Rainbow off and on for the last 14 years or so, I've known 4 different farm managers in that time and all have been really good people once you spend a bit of time having a conversation with them,
I've found they are incredibly busy guys up there and sometimes stuff gets forgotten, I've also been declined access on occasion because other party's had asked first.
To suggest it deserves to be 1080ed just because you haven't been able to gain access yet, is a bit over the top,
In my experience the deer are pretty patchy on rainbow already with the local waro poacher doing his best....or maybe I'm not hunting it enough...
Leatham is pretty close , why not try that.?

Originally Posted by davhope

To be fair....
I've hunted Rainbow off and on for the last 14 years or so, I've known 4 different farm managers in that time and all have been really good people once you spend a bit of time having a conversation with them,
I've found they are incredibly busy guys up there and sometimes stuff gets forgotten, I've also been declined access on occasion because other party's had asked first.
To suggest it deserves to be 1080ed just because you haven't been able to gain access yet, is a bit over the top,
In my experience the deer are pretty patchy on rainbow already with the local waro poacher doing his best....or maybe I'm not hunting it enough...
Leatham is pretty close , why not try that.?

1080 comment was tongue and cheek, , i dont want 1080 dropped anywhere. Just annoys me access is difficult to access DOC land. They still charge 40 dollars, but if they state on their websites that access can be gained in the off season cant see why not. If thats not the case they should up date that no hunting access is in force . Still, clearly its if you in the know and i dont think thats right when you want to use a road to access DOC land and not theres but there you go

Know before you go
The formed roads and tracks have not been engineered, nor are they maintained to meet the standards for public access. Parts of it are hazardous. The hazards are not individually signposted or marked. Sudden weather changes can cause additional adverse conditions and/or additional hazards.

The Leaseholder consents to access by the public only on the basis that each person travels at his/her own risk, accepts full responsibility for his/her own safety, and accepts that the Leaseholder has no liability or responsibility of any sort for any injury, damage or accident to any person or property that enters Rainbow Station farmland and its surrounds, or when traversing the private formed tracks and/or roads.

The road is only suitable for high-clearance 4WD vehicles. There is no cell phone coverage and breakdown services may not operate in the private area. Drivers also need to be self-sufficient and prepared for sudden changes in weather. You drive at your own risk.

Unseasonal snows, slips or elevated fire risk may close the road without notice.

Quote above from the DOC website. I then checked the Rainbow Station site - said access closed until the new season. Hunters and the like should have put in their submissions or concerns to DOC etc when the new owners took over a few years ago - owner is from Nelson i believe. I know previously that there was an arrangement to access out of season for hunting but.......nothing lasts forever unfortunately and the road has been previously washed out nearer the Rainbow end if you have been checking the info online..Who funds the road repairs is likely another issue even though we pay a road toll during summer at the homestead gate? I don't agree in the highly restricted access to the Rainbow road at times but f..k all of you people take part in submitting your concerns to LINZ/DOC etc and blame others like the NZDA (7000 members)/GAC for hunter related problems with access and firearms. More political power in numbers/organisations like F&B (about 70,000 members). So make your vote count at this years MMP and stop worrying about taxes and the like - all Govts put up tax! Think more about your hunting interests. Just saying....

Its always says closed to the puclic in the off season.Just means the general public cant rock up there and go like they do in the ""season"".
But it does state in the off season(only time you allow to hunt) you can email them for access to hunt plus you once could request access for other stuff as well as long as it was approved.
DOC encourage such stations to allow access to DOC land and in this case hunting as well and tried to come to a arrangement but of course if one party doesnt want to play ball theres not much you
can do about it .

Very true deer243 - the current owner has previously given me permission for access during the winter season when the weather was stable a week out. I emailed as per their website. But it is not one of my go to spots that often. I have lost count on the number of access submissions i have put forward for various property tenure reviews over the years plus the firearms select committee. We just lack good numbers of rec hunters using common sense and putting pen to paper on matters that are close to our heart. Too many hanga ons out there!