Thread: Upper Ruatiti rd

Hi all
Upper Ruatiti road access and hunting info required please.
never been there before and reading 5th edition of hunting mag.
Legal access through Ruatiti station then into conservation land with loads of quad tracks etc.
Fellow deer would be our targets.
What's the todays info on this area and vehicle /trailer safety where we can leave.
Its a big area and im guessing there are still ok numbers of Fellow ?
Cheers in advance T
PM me if needed.

the area you have in mind do you mean the Mangapurua track into the bridge to nowhere it seems like it that starts off thru Ruatiti station - once you clarify that we can give you more info

Hi Barry Yes correct.. tried calling the station but number is no go.

okay its a heavily used public access all sorts use it trampers mountain bikers hunters etc there is not loads of quad tracks just one main track -- are you trying to get permission to hunt Ruatiti station or are you just wanting to hunt DOC LAND

It's pretty easy mate, just head to the Doc website: https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-re...nt/mangapurua/.

The website describes how to access the area. No need to contact the station unless you're trying to hunt the station land. Dogs need permits, but you won't get one with lambing on.

Mangapurua Track; from State Highway 4 north of Raetihi turn onto Ruatiti Road. Continue along this road until reaching the start of the Mangapurua Track. The Mangapurua Track passes through Ruatiti Station. Dogs must be kept on a chain or caged at all times while passing through the station. No shooting until inside the Whanganui National Park.

Park at the start of the access track (there is always a few trucks and trailers there) from there, head in on the track. There will be a sign saying you are now entering conservation land. From then on you are free to hunt, minding the absolute shit ton of mountain bikers, hikers and other users.

Use WAMS to get an idea of where the boundaries are and to get an idea of where clearings are and how to access them.

There are a few quad tracks off the main track, but not many. The streams can be very hard to cross. There was plenty of sign when I was there, but I didn't see anything.

There is a left turn on your way in just past the Mangapurua Trig camp site. It shows up as a paper road on WAMS. It's an extremely rough quad track that a bigger quad would struggle on, but the clearings down there always looked promising. But it is a well known spot so expect company.

Ring the Whanganui DOC office, they were very helpful when I rang for advice and access info.

It's been about 3 years since I went in, so it'll pay to confirm any info.

Good luck

20 bore sets it out pretty well if its Ruatiti station itself you are going to be hunting then lots of deer - but this public land a different ball game receives a lot of hunters and is culled for goats and deer by DOC in general hard hunting and scarce on deer - but if you are prepared to walk and fly camp then there is some country in there to get into - that track 20 bore is talking about just past the trig camp goes into the Waipapa stream - the track may well be impassable to quads depends on how much work local hunters have done - our last trip we got down to the pines the main clearing but hell it was scary in places - has a few resident deer - over the hill is the Mangatiti with big clearings always good deer numbers - we flew in there one roar camped on main clearing and shot 12 deer reds and fallow- there is a track over from the Waipapa to the Mangatiti takes of from the pines -and a track down the Mangatiti that passes thru many clearings - all good hunting - down the Mangatiti one eventually gets to private land - this is the block that was owned by the infamous monster of Mangatiti - I would get down into the Waipapa and camp at the pines - on WAM maps bring up aerial photos of that whole area and find the clearings - hunt those including further down the Waipapa - down into the Waipapa likely will not have been hunted much shitty scrub country but has clearings and hold deer especially the faces that look onto the private land

My first hunt in the area was to suss the general surrendings, for some reason my hackles were standing up and felt cold on back of neck. Took a while to click that i was in a killers playground. Bet anything theres ghosts wondering those clearings.

strange story of the dope grower went missing in there - older guy left young mate in their camp the young guy heard shots and his older mate was not seen again- locals still say old Bill Cornelious knew what happened - TVNZ did not a bad movie about him " the monster of Mangatiti " one trip we flew into DOC land and I could see him riding his horse out the back of his place with my binos - interesting bit of country

Gerry was interesting fella to be around too...Alan from old forum supposedly had run in with him,written in book... I do recall his YOUNG daughter used to come out of house holding SxS when we rode past...

Well some of us on here know pretty much every single person living on that road north of the domain, plus Murumuru Road, so it will be interesting to see what some of you fellas have got to say about them.

Originally Posted by Barry the hunter

strange story of the dope grower went missing in there - older guy left young mate in their camp the young guy heard shots and his older mate was not seen again- locals still say old Bill Cornelious knew what happened - TVNZ did not a bad movie about him " the monster of Mangatiti " one trip we flew into DOC land and I could see him riding his horse out the back of his place with my binos - interesting bit of country

A little bit away from the truth but semi right.
I know all people involved except the one allegedly murdered.

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Originally Posted by Flyblown

Well some of us on here know pretty much every single person living on that road north of the domain, plus Murumuru Road, so it will be interesting to see what some of you fellas have got to say about them.

Correct!

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@Rumdog

Mangapurua isn't a great fallow area. There are fallow all the way up the valley but they hang on the farmland because most of cockies tolerate them as they far prefer fallow venison over red deer. Others might have a different view but on the 6 or 7 times I've been down that track I've not seen fallow. Reds and pigs only.

The region is overrun with reds, though they are noticeably harder to get onto on the public land either side of the track. Loads of cyclists, trampers, horse riders, plus hunters on quads. Track runs through the station on a public right of way. Its about 3km to the public land. Don't bother the folk at Ruatiti Station - friendly enough but its nothing to do with them.

For fallow you're better off looking for opportunities on the west side of the Wanganui catchment. Millions of them over that side.

Originally Posted by Flyblown

Well some of us on here know pretty much every single person living on that road north of the domain, plus Murumuru Road, so it will be interesting to see what some of you fellas have got to say about them.

well you have got all I know- do tell - yes plenty reds - but the creeks are shite to cross anywhere - has that cowboy village ever sold - always seemed to me to be a strange place to build it

Spent a heap of time in there when I was doing heaps of pig hunting, a few laps around the sun ago now. A colleague and I used to hunt the late Owen Maru's property and the Mangapurua a lot as well. Theres a heap of history in there, and yip ole Bill was roaming around and yeah, the rumors were rife about what he was up to which was unnerving. Mainly we walked in there or did the odd horse trip in there with a few pack horses and stayed at one of the old homesteads (easily found just look out for fruit trees and macrocarpa trees along the track), typically close to battleship bluff or Macintoshes the track was nothing like it is now, it was pretty dodgy then, it was quite common for a horse to slide off the track, and crossing some of the old bridge just on the remaining timbers. There was a full-on possum trappers camp there made from trees and NZ Railway tarps, long gone now I suspect. I think it was about 10-12 k in on a high feature with big pine frees.

On the way in on the right there is a track that breaks out to the left to farmland right on the high point of that corner is an old magazine that was built to store explosives when putting the road in, last time I was there it had two very old steel wire frames beds in it. Another area that gets mentioned a lot is the bull ring quite often we got a few good pigs in that area, but its a fair old haul.

There were lots of deer, pigs and possums in there, the terrain is undulating to overhanging, steep gorges, tomos, fast water, heavy vegetation and papa clay everywhere be bloody careful. We used to wear hob nail boots with tricone's and still have a few major arse ups. Enjoy