McLeans Forest
Just a 15-minute drive from Christchurch, McLeans Forest has three mountain bike loops totalling 17 kilometres along with a pump track and a skills loop catering for cyclists of all ages and abilities, plus 11 kilometres of walking or running tracks.
Other commercial businesses lease land from Environment Canterbury in the wider McLeans Island area, so you’ll find Orana Wildlife Park, car, machinery and golf clubs, shooting groups and other recreation ventures.
Please check notices and events for the latest information or like our Facebook page to stay up to date.
How to get there
McLeans Forest is a section of the Waimakariri River Regional Park popular with mountain bikers of all ages, walkers and runners.
You'll find about 17km of family-friendly, high-quality mountain biking tracks along with a pump track, skills loop and 11km of walking and running trails.
The entrance is off McLeans Island Road, coming from either Johns Road or Old West Coast Road. View the park location on Google maps.
Opening hours
- October to March: 7am to 10pm
- April to September: 7am to 10pm
Safety and visitor rule
- Dogs must be kept under effective control at all times.
- No barbecues are provided but visitors are welcome to bring their own, provided they are gas-only and used in areas clear of vegetation.
- Do not light fires. Dial 111 immediately if you see smoke or flames.
Park facilities and activities
Park facilities
- Parking area - suitable for 100 cars
- Picnic tables with grassed areas for playing
- Public toilets
- Two covered electric BBQs, free to use
- Pump track and drag strip
- Skills loop
- Mini road system
- Food forest - this is newly planted. Find out more about the Rongoā Forest/Te Ao Kōwhai
McLeans Island facilities
Park activities
Mountain biking - McLeans Forest has three loop tracks. Two well-kept trails cater to family groups and competitive bikers. The River Loop is an additional dirt trail that is only lightly maintained because it tends to flood often. All loops are one-way and can be interlinked to make a total distance of 17km.
- Tresillian Loop - The main track starts and finishes off at the car park, 10km.
- Coringa Loop - An additional 5km loop off Tresillian Loop.
- River Loop - Accessed from Tresillian Loop, the 2km river loop is a low-grade track that takes you to the river's edge.
- Mini road system - The system features a roundabout, pedestrian crossing, T-intersection, and underpass, as well as some bumps and corners. Learn more about the new mini road system.
Walking and jogging - The 11km McLeans Forest walking trail starts and finishes at the main car park. The Templers Island Trail can also be walked or run.
Picnics - Toilets and a grass oval suitable for family games. Plenty of picnic tables. Gas barbecues are welcome provided they are set up in areas clear of dry vegetation.
Mini road system
Shared use (mountain biking or walking) Templers Island Trail - The trail starts at McLeans Forest and travels the length of the Waimakariri River as far as Brooklands Lagoon at the river mouth. This is a multi-directional, easy-riding trail offering great views of the Waimakariri River. The Sophora and Gordon Reid trails are accessed from the eastern end of the car park and link to the Templers Island trail.
Biodiversity and Rongoā Forest/Te Ao Kōwhai
The open grasslands in and around McLeans Forest support predominantly exotic pasture species but some areas have retained elements of their former native vegetation cover, including the threatened leafless pohuehue (Muehlenbeckia ephedroides) and scabweed (Raoulia monroi), as well as the locally rare longwood tussock (Carex comans), potatara (Leucopogon fraseri), matagouri (Discaria tomatou) and cabbage tree (Cordyline australis).
One of the most striking native habitats is the savannah-like dry grassland with scattered kōwhai trees that runs both east and west of Chattertons Road.
Harriers (Circus approximans) can frequently be seen scanning the area for prey. Native pigeons (kererū),tomtits (Miromiro) and fantails (pīwakawaka) can occasionally be spotted in the forest.
McLeans Island Food and Rongoā Forest/Te Ao Kōwhai
Located in McLeans Forest in the Waimakariri River Regional Park, Te Ao Kōwhai is a 2.6 hectare food and rongoā forest. The forest is made up of 170 fruit and nut trees that were planted in March 2023 and a range of native plants that are traditional sources of food and rongoā (medicine). We encourage you to visit the forest and collect food when it is in season.
Willow and kōwhai
The arch at the entrance to the Food and Rongoā Forest is created from willow, which used to dominate the space. Although three species of willow (grey, crack, and basket) are identified in the Canterbury Regional Pest Management Plan, there are another 347 species that are not harmful. In fact, we often plant sterile willow seedings because their vigorous root growth stabilises the bank of the Waimakariri awa and reduces erosion.
Ngāi Tūāhuriri gifted the name Te Ao Kōwhai, which reflects the fact the area used to thrive with kōwhai. The forest is home to pockets of remnant kōwhai, some of which were planted in the 1940s.
What is rongoā?
Rongoā is a traditional way of healing that uses native plants to alleviate or cure illnesses. This often includes making drinks, poultices or lotions from native plants. Rongoā species you can find in the forest include harakeke/flax, kōwhai and tī kōuka/cabbage tree. The harakeke leaves are used to heal skin infections and flax fibre is used to stitch up cuts. Tī kōuka is used to create ointments to treat wounds and drinks to settle upset stomachs.
Park history
Before Pākeha settlement, McLeans Forest was thriving with kānuka and kōwhai trees. In 1852, the area was bought by Scottish brothers John and Allan McLean, who brought over 500 sheep as well as a few cattle and horses and established the Waimakariri Station.
In the 1930s, McLeans Forest underwent flood protection works, which included creating stopbanks and planting radiata pines and willow, though there were still remnant patches of kānuka and kōwhai. The pine and willow trees have been slowly replaced with native trees but still play an important role in supporting native seedlings and fauna.