Central Otago Hunt

Hunting on horses to hounds is one of the oldest sports in existence dating back to early European history. Hunting in NZ was introduced by early settlers nostalgic for the sport of their homeland, forming the first Hunt, the Auckland Hunt Club in the 1860's.

Central Otago Hunt Inc was first founded in 1989 after a meeting of local enthusiasts. It is because of their foresight that we were lucky enough in the winter of 2019, to celebrate 30 years of hunting with a Jubilee celebration. This consisted of four days of hunting with our own hounds and our neighbouring packs, Birchwood Hunt, and Eastern Southland Hunt. This gave our members and visitors the pleasure of experiencing three different packs hunting in Central Otago.

Our country takes in the Central Otago District ranging from Queenstown in the west to the watershed of the Rock and Pillar Range in the east. From Raes Junction in the south to Wanaka in the north. The best country hunted is mostly sheep farming country. Some areas hunted are rolling downs, still in native grasses.

Our season starts in early to mid March and usually finishes in mid June, when icy roads and wintery weather start to make travelling and hunting difficult.

We have accommodation and package stays available for those who wish to take part in this historical event.