Our Regional Park Tōtara Reserve
Tōtara Reserve Regional Park is Horizons’ only regional park and holds a special place within the biodiversity programme.
It combines important indigenous forest and wetland values with public recreation, camping, education, cultural engagement, and community use.
This makes it one of the council’s most visible biodiversity assets, and one where ecological management and visitor experience must be carefully balanced.
Explore your regional park
Tōtara Reserve Regional Park offers a wide range of attractions for day visitors and campers including walking tracks, swimming holes, barbecues and picnic spots.
Visit the reserve website for more information about the forest and walking tracks or to make a campground booking.
Get involved
Our TRIBE (Tōtara Reserve Indigenous Biodiversity Enhancers) group of volunteers meets the second Tuesday of every month, 10am at the campground gates, to spend a couple of hours helping to care for our regional park. Great for school groups or people looking for a dose of fresh air and a bit of physical exercise to care for plantings and tracks. Please contact Martin on 021 227 7817.
How we look after the park
Horizons owns this regional park and the Horizons biodiversity team is responsible for its management which includes a comprehensive forest health protection programme as well as campground and track maintenance and hosting environmental education and other community engagement events.
The Regional Park Programme is guided by the ten-year Tōtara Reserve Management Plan, which was developed in consultation with community stakeholders and the Tōtara Reserve Advisory Group - a panel of councillors, iwi members and local community representatives.