Queenstown Lakes District council sport and recreation manager Simon Battrick said the project was beginning to take shape. The foundations and stainless steel pool walls were in place and the building frames were due to be erected within the next few weeks.
He said progress on the pool had been "positive'', although the project team had had to overcome a few unforeseen challenges, resulting in the pool being due for completion in late May 2018, instead of March next year.
"What has caused the delays is not one specific thing but a bunch of tiny things which have a knock-on effect that add up over time,'' Mr Battrick said.
"The complexity of building pools means there are often construction issues that come through that aren't foreseen and you have to adjust your planning to accommodate them,'' he said.
Cook Brothers construction business development director Simon Glass said "while it was disappointing the project was running slightly behind on its original programme, the project team were working hard to bring it back on track and were committed to delivering a fantastic facility for the Upper Clutha community''.
Waiting and delays are nothing new to Wanaka swimmers, who had talked about the need for a new swimming centre for more than a decade before it was finally given the go-ahead by the QLDC in 2015.
The first concrete for the 25m and learn-to-swim pools was poured in March this year and it was due to open this month.
Delays in negotiating the final details and pricing of the facility with contractor Cook Brothers pushed that back to March 2018 and yesterday's announcement will mean another 60-day wait for the construction handover.
Mr Battrick confirmed the current Wanaka Pool on Plantation Rd would continue to operate until the new pool opened.
He said when the pool was finished it would be a valuable addition to the busy Wanaka Recreation Centre "which has seen a continued increase in winter bookings for the artificial turf and indoor courts, and which will be hosting the upcoming Upper Clutha Festival of Sport and Recreation on September 23''.
He also hoped the two new sports fields beside the Wanaka Recreation Centre, seeded in March, could be used this summer.
They would alleviate the strong demand for football fields in the Wanaka area for next year's winter season, he said.
