Tauranga City Council will host and support a range of events to celebrate the city's reserves during Parks Week, which takes place from March 4-12.

Parks Week brings together Australian and New Zealand councils and other organisations with an interest in the future of parks. The idea behind the week is to raise awareness of the social and economic value of these spaces.

'As Tauranga grows we need to make sure it remains a thriving, livable city. Parks and reserves play a huge role in facilitating that,” says Tauranga City Council parks and recreation manager Mark Smith.

Tauranga City Council and other organisations are working to host a number of events over Parks Week, including:

• Walk to Work Day - On March 8, locals are encouraged to commute to work on foot. Many of Tauranga's parks and reserves provide a more pleasant alternative to walking on the street. Before you go to the office, you can stop by the Walk to Work Day stand on The Strand to grab something to eat.
  
  
• Magical Park - Families with kids, download the free app Magical Park on your smartphone and come to Memorial Park to play from March 7. Magical Park is an augmented reality game similar to Pokémon Go. In it, you can catch cute animals and dinosaurs – but watch out for Tyrannosaurus Rex! Bring your kids and devices down to the park at 10am on March 7 for the official launch.
  
  
• Night Owl Cinemas: Pete's Dragon - Night Owl Cinemas will be playing Disney movie Pete's Dragon on 4 March at McLaren Falls Park, where part of the movie was filmed. The film follows a boy named Pete and his adventures with his best friend Elliot, who just happens to be a dragon.
  
  
• Rock hunting competition - Special painted Parks Week rocks will be hidden around Tauranga reserves. If you find one, you can take a picture with it and post it on Facebook with the hashtag #ParksWeekRocks.

To see the rest of the Parks Week events, check them out on MyTauranga. For more information on Parks Week, visit www.parks-week.org