Weddings and events
At McLaren Falls we have three great locations for your wedding ceremony. They can each accommodate varying amounts of people.
Please select your location carefully based on how many guests you have attending. The maximum number we can accommodate is 75 people at Bottom Flat.
- Bottom Flat - up to 75 people
- Cherry Bay - up to 40 people
- Rotary Grove - up to 45 people
Further information about holding weddings at council reserves can be found at Using our parks - weddings.
Bringing your horse
There is an equestrian area available for use at the rear of the park.
All horses must be unloaded and loaded in the designated equestrian parking area which can be accessed via Lower Maungapapa Road.
Find out more about McLaren Falls equestrian area
If you would like to use the jumps and clubroom, contact the Tauranga Pony Club, who can advise availability and costs.
Seasonal scavenger hunt
Discover McLaren Falls Park in a whole new way with our free Seasonal Scavenger Hunts, available as printed sheets from the Visitor Centre or to download below and print at home.
These playful activity sheets invite children and families to explore the park together. Each scavenger hunt is designed as a choose‑your‑own adventure, meaning you can start anywhere in the park and explore at your own pace. There’s a unique hunt for each season, encouraging curious minds to notice what’s changing, what’s hiding, and what makes that season special. All you need to bring is a pen or pencil - and a sense of adventure!
StoryWalk® experience
McLaren Falls Park is home to Tauranga’s first permanent StoryWalk®, an interactive family experience where pages of a children’s book are displayed alongside a walking trail. Follow Te Ngahere i te Pō / The Forest at Night as the story unfolds through beautiful native forest, with playful prompts that bring the characters to life!
Find the StoryWalk® start near the Waterfall Track car park – it runs along the left side of the stream, on a flat wide gravel path. An audio version can be accessed via QR code on each panel. At the end of the StoryWalk®, the Waterfall Track continues up some stairs to the waterfall then loops back along the other side of the stream.
McLaren Falls Park disc golf course
Our 18-basket disc golf course is among the most spectacular in the country. Follow the signs from the front gate to the start of the course at Pin Oak Flats.
View the disc golf course map (5mb pdf)
Should you have any enquires regarding the course please contact the Tauranga disc golf Facebook page.
Trout fishing
There is year-round fishing in Lake McLaren and in the Ruahihi Canal. You are required to have a fishing licence. You can buy a licence online from Fish and Game New Zealand or from participating sports shops. Season licences expire 30 September each year.
Wairoa River and McLaren Falls
On the Wairoa river near Tauranga, Manawa Energy runs the Kaimai Hydroelectric Power Scheme. This includes a superb recreational area, popular for kayaking, rafting, fishing, running and picnicking. To provide great white water for recreational kayakers and rafters, we regularly release water from McLaren Falls dam during warm months.