🍁 From Waterfalls to Glow Worms: McLaren Falls Park Has It All 🌌

Looking for the perfect family outing? Let me share a gem that’s great for both daytime exploring and evening magic: McLaren Falls Park in Tauranga. If you’re planning a trip there, this spot is a must.

📍 First Stop: Marshalls Animal Park - McLaren Falls

Right next to the park is a small animal zoo that we honestly didn’t expect much from—but the kids absolutely loved it.

🐐 There are plenty of farm animals to meet up close: guinea pigs, alpacas, rabbits, ponies, and even fallow deer. Children can feed them and wander around the enclosures again and again.

🎢 The real bonus? A flying fox that’s long enough and at just the right slope—kids couldn’t get enough of it.

🍁 Lakefront and Autumn Postcards

After the animals, we headed to the park’s well-known waterfall track. The waterfall isn’t huge, but the sound of rushing water and the gentle, easy trail through autumn trees made it the perfect warm-up walk.

We planned to leave after that, but since it was still early, we stopped by the lake area—and that turned out to be the highlight of the whole park. The water mirrored layers of autumn colour, families were picnicking on the grass, kids and dogs were running around, and joggers passed by. Everything felt just right.

We even spotted a tree heavy with bright orange persimmons near the lake. It stood quietly, glowing in the evening light—so beautiful we had to pause and take it in.

🌌 Evening Magic: The Glow Worm Track

As night fell, we decided to try our luck on the Glow Worm Track.

✨ And yes—we found them! Tiny blue-green lights dotted the cliffs and bushes. They didn’t flicker, but glowed steadily, like a starry sky hidden inside the forest.

No phone camera could capture it, but being there in person was breathtaking—peaceful, quiet, and unforgettable.