Falls Park
22 Alderman Drive, Henderson

This is a pretty park with views of the waterfall from the artistic McLeod's Crossing.

Good paths connect the entrance at Alderman Drive with the crossing, and provide lots of places for the kids to ride their bikes and scooters.

A traditional rotunda at the northern end of the park can be used as a wedding venue during the summer months.

Relax with a picnic at the picnic tables by the rotunda or alongside the Oratia Stream. You can also find a quiet spot under one of the established trees.

A paid car park is available on Alderman Drive opposite the entrance to the park.

Accessible features at this park

A brick path provides access from Alderman Drive to McLeods Crossing bridge.

History of the park

This site was a popular picnic area and swimming hole in the 1930s. The falls are along Edmonton Road at what was the southern end of the original park. This is where the level of the stream bed drops and the stream flows over exposed sandstone rocks into the Falls Park pool.

Falls Hotel (as it is now known) was originally located in Railside Avenue and called the Oratia Hotel after the nearby stream. The hotel became a popular overnight venue in the 1880s for tourists travelling from Henderson's Landing to the Waitakere Falls.

The hotel was relocated to its present site in the early 1990s. It is one of the oldest hotel buildings in New Zealand and the second oldest in the Auckland region.