Wallaby introduced:

The wallaby of the Hunters Hills is the red-necked or brush wallaby. It is the largest of five species introduced into Canterbury in about 1874, when Michael Studholme released two does and a buck near the Te Waimate homestead.
 
Originally introduced mainly for its fur and for sport, the wallaby is now regarded as a pest. Although often viewed with affection because of its appealing appearance, the wallaby causes severe damage to vegetation, cropping the grass and leaving the forest floor bare. By 1960 the wallaby population was estimated to be 500,000 to 1,000,000 spread over 1,000,000 hectares.

Hunting Available:

The Waimate area is a hunters paradise, boasting the South Islands only feral Wallaby population, for year round hunting alongside opossum,rabbit and hare. In addition to the mentioned small game hunting, tour operators 'Ngahere Game Ranch', situated only 6km from Waimate township, is a private hunting park offering guided hunts for Trophy Red Stags, Elk Bull, Fallow Buck, Arapawa Ram and Goat. (Bull Tahr and Chamois hunting are also available offsite.) 'Ngahere Game Ranch' is a licensed Gamebird preserve providing bird hunters with the opportunity to hunt Pheasant, Guinea Fowl and Red Leg Partridge to compliment the abundant duck and goose populations in the area.
Main gamebird season is May - August.
 
Ngahere Game Ranch, your hosts Bruce and Mieke Flett, welcome all enquiries:-Email

Fishing Spots:

Main fishing spots of the area are the Waitaki River and Mouth, Waihao River, Hydro dam lakes (licences required) and the Hakataramea River (fly fishing only) Waihao Box, Hook Beach. Fish such as, grey shark, elephant fish, spotted dogfish, kahawhai, flounder, yellow-eyed mullet and red cod can be caught from the beach with surf casting rods(no licence required).
Whitebait and sea-run trout are caught in season, but the main attraction for anglers from all over the world is the magnificent Quinnant Salmon, during the spawning run from November until April each year. If you want to go fishing then check first whether a licence is required and when the season opens. Sea fishing is available all year though catches are better November to March.

Waitaki River Salmon Fishing Contest

The world-renowned Waitaki River is an angler's paradise. The mighty Waitaki frequently carries the most water of any of New Zealand's big east coast salmon rivers with 28km of fishing water offering many likely looking holes. Each season the Waitaki yields some very big fish; catches vary with the heaviest ever salmon weighing 29kg.