We’ve assembled our hunting equipment list in hopes that it helps you prepare for your hunt and ensure you will be prepared for our variety of weather conditions.
New Zealand Safaris supplies: Cooking and eating gear, food, tents, sleeping bags and mats if required.
General information: New Zealand is a small country surrounded by ocean. The weather is extremely changeable and can vary from hot/dry/sunshine to blizzard conditions with little warning. (There is no land between NZ and the Antarctic.) Hence light jackets and over-trousers that can be carried are valuable, clothes that you would expect to require on a late Fall hunt in Alaska are suitable.
Outer garments, hats, etc should be of subdued colours or green/brown camouflage
Your rifle should be sighted in for 200 metres, with good quality projectiles of suitable weight. (130 or 150 grain for the 270W, 150 for the 7mm, and 180 for the 300 seem about right). A good quality scope is ESSENTIAL, either 4X or vari-power.
Ensure that you have sufficient warm clothing, the above list is the MINIMUM. If you do have too much the excess can be safely stored while you are hunting. Also bring casual clothes for before and after the hunt.
- Boots: Suitable for mountain hiking (waterproof, heavy sole). Additional light boots/road shoes for camp use are also useful.
- Socks: Warm socks for hiking in cold conditions – minimum of 4 pairs, wool are best, as they will get wet.
- Trousers: 1 pair of WARM hunting pants, 1 pair of light hunting pants and/or tracksuit bottoms.
- Shirts: 2 heavy weight warm (wool preferred) shirts and 1 light shirt.
- Jersey: 1 wool jersey, I track suit top
- Hat: 1 wool or insulated cold weather hat, 1 sun hat (peak cap or brimmed hat).
- Gloves: 1 pair of gloves suitable for cold weather hunting.
- Underclothes: Minimum 2 heavy weight “T” shirts for cold conditions and 1 lightweight “T” shirt. 4 pairs of under pants and 1 pair of long john’s. (Polypropylene mountain gear recommended.)
- Jacket: Wind/rainproof jacket – essential (insulated layer optional but useful especially in May thru September).
- Over-Trousers: Wind/rainproof lightweight over-trousers are recommended
- Insulated Vest: recommended optional extra especially May – September
- Also Recommended: Sun glasses (snow glare), small day backpack for lunches, binoculars, etc
- Optional Equipment: Sleeping bag (cold weather down or similar) and mountain pack for personal gear – only required on Wilderness Experience hunts.
- Personal Hunting Equipment: Rifle – suitable calibres for NZ are 270W, 30-06, 7mm Rem Mag, 300 Mag or similar, ammunition – 40 rounds
- knife
- binoculars, cameras, video camera
- Personal toiletries, Medical gear etc…