Walk status: Off-lead (in certain area)
Another road trip, and another park stopover in Hamilton. This time to Tauhara Park, located in the suburb of Rototuna.
There are a few entrance options to this park, and the best for immediate access to the dog off lead area is probably via Bircham Rise. However on this occasion we pulled into the main carpark area located off Callum Brae Drive. This gave me a great vantage point over the whole park which includes not only a wide open space for your pooch, but a mini golf course, a kids playground and a spot for coffee or an icecream on a hot day. There are also public toilets located at the carpark.
Entrance via the main carpark does end up putting you in close proximity to the kids playground which obviously dogs can't be near so hence the entrance ive noted above is probably easiest for immediate off-lead fun.
It was a dark and gloomy day when we visited so its a bit grey in the photos, however that certainly didn't stop the locals and their pooches from enjoying this place. You can follow a concrete path around the edge of the park, and it looks to extend further than the park boundary however we didn't choose to explore where it went on this day. Or you can just enjoy the wide open space like George and I did. It's a great spot for a ball game.
Now note that the sign shows only a small area of this park is actually off-lead to dogs. I always find it funny when councils do this. Like somehow a dog owner is meant to be able to know where that invisible line is in the grass and know that your dog has just stepped over it and should be on lead? I believe the signs are now outdated as the space was reviewed back in 2015 so I would assume the new boundaries have since been put in place but the sign hasn't been updated - the link here shows the revised boundaries for the off-lead area.
There isn't much to say about this park, other than the fact its quite spacious. But finding a place that serves coffee alongside a dog off leash area is worth a write up in my book!
Location: 44 Callum Brae Drive, Rototuna, Hamilton
Carparking is ample here or park in the side streets that surround the park. Likely the carpark would be full on a nice weather day with people using the mini golf course.
Things to know:
There are public toilets here
Not all areas of the park are off-lead
There are options for food and drink on site