From boxfit classes to a jungle trail, there are plenty of reasons to get out of your house and into a local park this week.

After a successful first year, Parks Week has returned to Stratford this year with the aim of encouraging people to get out exploring and enjoying their local parks and green spaces.

Parks Week is a national event held throughout New Zealand.

It kicked off on Saturday with Colour in the Park, a 5km walk/run where participants were splashed with non toxic colour powder throughout the course.

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Kate Whareaitu, director community services at Stratford District Council, says the purpose of Parks Week is to highlight all the great parks we have in Stratford, and to get people out and about and using the parks.

"This year we incorporated Colour in the Park into Parks Week, as this is a great activity, and runs through one of our largest parks."

There will also be Boxfit in the park classes. These classes are a new addition to the TSB Pool Complex Fitness timetable and are suitable for all fitness levels.

"Last year we ran a number of fitness classes in the parks, and they were popular with our locals, with around 10-20 people attending each class," Kate says.

These classes are held at the Rhododendron Dell in King Edward Park throughout this week. The first Boxfit lesson was on Monday and the second session being this Wednesday, March 13, 5.15pm to 6pm. The wet weather venue for these classes is at the TSB pool complex.

As well as these actives, the council will be running a jungle hunt around the Three Bridges Trail in King Edward Park. To enter this event, pick up a form from the Stratford I-site or Stratford District Library.

All completed and returned forms to the Stratford i-SITE by Tuesday, March 19 will go in the draw to win prizes.

■ For more information about Parks Week, visit www.stratford.govt.nz or follow Stratford District Council's Facebook page. To find about more about Parks Week visit http://www.parks-week.org/