McLaren Falls Park is 190 hectares of pastoral and horticultural parkland set alongside Lake McLaren. The Park is popular for camping, fishing, kayaking, wedding photo’s, picnics, bush walks and summertime concerts.
New Zealand’s McLaren Falls Park. Picture: Oyster NZOne of the highlights of The Park is the Waterfall Track where you can see glowworms after dusk. Its a short, easy stroll to the picturesque waterfall and you can spot the glow worms on either side of the track. Part of the Waterfall Track is also wheelchair and mobility scooter friendly.
McLaren Falls Information CentreMarshall’s Animal Park is accessed through the park and features exotic animals, a must-see for the kids.
The Falls CaféWe parked our van across the road from the McLaren Falls and crossed over to view the Falls from the bridge. This was an easy way to view them. We then drove through the park, around the lake, to the Visitor Centre where we found some interesting reading material and found accessible toilets. Just next door was a cute café where we stopped for some lunch and the local duck population. Access here was around the back through the garden and up a ramp.
This was a pleasant place to spend an afternoon. If you felt like camping down for the night The Park provides some good ‘free’ campsites, barbecue facilities and picnic tables. Usually, there is a small fee for camping that just helps maintain the facilities.
