McLaren Falls Park is an Arboretum currently owned and operated by Tauranga City Council. McLaren Falls Park sits on 230 hectares and boasts one of the largest tree collections in New Zealand. In 1965 the Bay of Plenty Tree Society approached Tauranga City Council with plans of turning the bare farmland that was purchased as part of the local hydro scheme into an arboretum. The first plantings began in June later that year. Thanks to the work from the Tree Society, the arboretum currently has over 2000 different species of trees.

Either side of the entrance gate as you drive into the park is a collection of trees from the Araucaria genus, including a large Araucaria angustifolia (Parana pine). It is not common to see large examples of this species in New Zealand, which is critically endangered in its natural habitat of South America.

Also inside the park are excellent examples of the deciduous conifers, with Taxodium mucronatum (Montezuma bald cypress) doing exceptionally well, especially around the lake. There are a couple of groups of Metasequoia glyptostroboides (dawn redwood) with excellent form and will now be some of the largest in the area, exceeding 20m in height. But probably the most unique tree within the park is the smaller weeping cultivar of the swamp cypress (Taxodium distichum ‘McLaren Falls’), which was discovered within the park.

A mature Emmenopterys henryi (Chinese Emmenopterys) is situated near the entrance along the lakeside walk. This is an uncommon species to be seen in New Zealand and requires a hot summer followed by a reasonably cold winter to stimulate flowering. This tree does produce flower at McLaren Falls and can be seen from mid to late summer.

Autumn is a great time to visit the park with various deciduous trees displaying an array of colour, this includes a couple of large Oxydendrum arboreum (sourwood or sorrel tree). This North American species puts on an impressive show of vivid red on the bank behind “Bottom Flat”

We have future plans to continue expanding our tree collection with the hopes to keep collecting and preserving the more “unique” species of trees from all around the world.