The $8.40 fee to take a single adult swim at Moana Pool, the St Clair Hot Salt Water Pool or Mosgiel’s Te Puna o Whakaehu facility is at the expensive end of charges nationally, a dive into some figures shows.
However, it is not the most expensive.
Tauranga City Council charges $9.40 for a single adult entry to swim at its Baywave complex, which is a fancy facility that includes the biggest wave pool in New Zealand among its pools and, for an extra fee, a hydroslide, spa pool, steam room and sauna.
The single entry cost to the city’s other pools is $6.90, but it does also have some hot pools, which will cost an adult $27.30 per casual visit.
The Dunedin City Council, too, has a cheaper option at Port Chalmers, where the fee for a casual swim is $5.30.
Pools at Tauranga and Dunedin have remained popular.
The Baywave complex in Mt Maunganui draws about 300,000 visitors a year.
Mosgiel’s new pool, Te Puna o Whakaehu, is in its second year of operation and it has had more visitors than expected.
The year to June 2024 brought 160,561 visits, after a business case for the pool had a
marker of 140,000.
Demand for pool space across all of the Dunedin City Council’s aquatic facilities was a constant challenge at peak times, a report for the community services committee said in October.
"We have competing sports like water polo, diving, underwater hockey [and] synchronised swimming all competing for deep-water space, along with our aqua jogging population, casual users and aqua aerobics classes."
Refurbishment work was carried out at Moana Pool, located in the hills above the Octagon, but a plan to get new hydroslides was dumped last year.
The price to swim once at the city’s outdoor hot saltwater pool is the same as at the Moana or Mosgiel facilities, which each have several different pools to choose from.
Hamilton City Council charges $8.30 for a casual swim at its main pool complex, where the hydroslide, hydrotherapy pool and spa cost extra. It is $7.70 at a smaller two-pool aquatic centre.
Auckland Council charges adults $8 for a single swim at its pools around the city, though it is free at Ōtāhuhu.
There is an extra $2 cost if you want to use spas or saunas as well.
Parnell Baths, which boasts New Zealand’s largest saltwater swimming pool as well as a Lido pool and a family spa pool included in the price, charges the $8 fee, as do the historic Tepid Baths, where there are three pools to choose from, as well as sauna and steam rooms.
Also, in the cheapest swim category, it is free to swim at the Moana Nui-a-Kiwa Pool and the Ōtara Pool in Auckland.
Wellington’s pools generally cost $7.20 for a single swim, as does Invercargill’s Splash Palace, while the Christchurch City Council charges $6.70 for a casual swim in its pools.
New Plymouth’s main city pool is $6.50 a pop while community pools around the district will cost an adult only $3 a casual swim.
Napier’s pools cost $6.30.
Most places charge extra to use hydroslides, spas and saunas.
The councils have concession rates, which are significantly cheaper.
- APL
