McLeans Forest is a section of the Waimakariri River Regional Park on McLeans Island, about a 15-minute drive from Christchurch, and one of the city's favourite spots for mountain biking, walking and family picnics. Its three one-way mountain bike loops — Tresillian (10km), Coringa (5km) and the River Loop (2km) — interlink to make 17km of riding, complemented by a pump track, drag strip, skills loop and a mini road system that helps children learn road safety on two wheels. Walkers and runners have 11km of dedicated trail, plus the shared-use Templers Island Trail, which follows the Waimakariri River all the way to Brooklands Lagoon.
The park is well set up for an easy day out: a car park for around 100 vehicles, public toilets, plenty of picnic tables and a grassed oval for family games. Two covered electric barbecues are free to use, and visitors may bring their own gas barbecues provided they're set up clear of vegetation. Dogs are welcome under effective control, and the tracks are reserved for walkers, runners and mountain bikers — no motorbikes.
A newer highlight is Te Ao Kōwhai, a 2.6-hectare food and rongoā forest named by Ngāi Tūāhuriri after an area that once thrived with kōwhai. It holds 170 fruit and nut trees planted in March 2023 alongside native plants traditionally used for food and medicine, and visitors are encouraged to gather food when it is in season.
There's history here too: the land was bought in 1852 by Scottish brothers John and Allan McLean, who established the Waimakariri Station, and 1930s flood protection plantings of pine and willow are gradually being replaced with native trees. The wider McLeans Island area also hosts Orana Wildlife Park and various car, machinery and golf clubs on land leased from Environment Canterbury.
McLeans Forest, on McLeans Island in the Waimakariri River Regional Park, is the kind of place Christchurch locals keep in regular rotation — especially on sunny weekends, when the car park fills with bike racks and picnic hampers. Just a 15-minute drive from the city, with the entrance off McLeans Island Road (reached from either Johns Road or Old West Coast Road), it packs a remarkable amount of recreation into one compact corner of the river plain, and it's open from 7am to 10pm year-round.
Mountain biking is the headline act. Three one-way loop tracks — the 10km Tresillian Loop, the 5km Coringa Loop and the 2km River Loop — can be ridden on their own or interlinked into 17km of riding, starting and finishing at the car park. Two of the trails are well kept and cater to everyone from family groups to competitive bikers; the River Loop is a low-grade dirt trail to the river's edge that is only lightly maintained because it tends to flood. Off the loops there's a pump track and drag strip, a skills loop, and a mini road system complete with roundabout, pedestrian crossing, T-intersection and underpass — a purpose-built feature that helps children pedal their way to road-safety success.
If you'd rather be on foot, an 11km walking and running trail starts and finishes at the main car park. The Templers Island Trail, shared by walkers and bikers, travels the length of the Waimakariri River as far as Brooklands Lagoon at the river mouth — a multi-directional, easy-riding route with great views of the river. The Sophora and Gordon Reid trails link into it from the eastern end of the car park.
The park's facilities are simple but exactly right for a day outdoors: a parking area for around 100 cars, public toilets, plenty of picnic tables and a grassed oval suited to family games. Two covered electric barbecues are free to use, and you're welcome to bring your own gas barbecue as long as it's set up in an area clear of vegetation. Open fires are not permitted, and dogs must be kept under effective control at all times. One important rule to note: motorbikes — including motocross bikes, electric motorcycles and trail bikes — are not allowed on McLeans Forest tracks, which are for walkers, runners and mountain bikers only.
The land carries a long story. Before Pākeha settlement, McLeans Forest thrived with kānuka and kōwhai trees. In 1852, Scottish brothers John and Allan McLean bought the area, bringing over 500 sheep along with cattle and horses to establish the Waimakariri Station. In the 1930s, flood protection works created stopbanks and plantings of radiata pine and willow — trees that are slowly being replaced with natives today, though they still play an important role supporting native seedlings and fauna.
One of the park's most exciting features is Te Ao Kōwhai, a 2.6-hectare food and rongoā forest. The name was gifted by Ngāi Tūāhuriri, reflecting an area that once thrived with kōwhai. The forest holds 170 fruit and nut trees planted in March 2023 alongside a range of native plants that are traditional sources of food and rongoā (medicine), and visitors are encouraged to visit and collect food when it is in season. Rongoā species include harakeke/flax, whose leaves heal skin infections, and tī kōuka/cabbage tree, used in ointments and settling drinks. A willow arch — nodding to the species that once dominated the site — marks the entrance, and pockets of remnant kōwhai, some planted in the 1940s, still grow here.
Keep an eye skyward as you explore: harriers frequently scan the grasslands for prey, while kererū, tomtits (miromiro) and fantails (pīwakawaka) are occasionally spotted in the forest. The savannah-like dry grassland with scattered kōwhai east and west of Chattertons Road shelters threatened natives such as leafless pohuehue and scabweed.
The wider McLeans Island area offers even more, with businesses including Orana Wildlife Park and various car, machinery and golf clubs leasing land from Environment Canterbury nearby. Before you go, check ECan's regional parks notices and events page, or follow the ECan Parks Facebook page, for the latest track and event information.