About 15 kilometres southwest of the city, McLaren Falls Park sits on the Wairoa River and is one of the more beautiful green spaces in the Tauranga area. The waterfalls themselves are modest in size but dramatic in setting — the river drops over a series of rock shelves with native bush on both banks. The park has several short walks and is a popular spot for picnics and swimming in summer.
The park is also good for birdlife — native species including tui, fantail, and kereru are regularly seen in the river forest. In the evenings, glowworms light up the cliff faces near the falls.