No 45: Moana Pool opens (1964)
Ever hear anyone complaining about rates being used to help maintain Moana Pool?
Didn't think so.
In time, maybe Forsyth Barr Stadium will be seen in much the same light as the aquatic complex that is arguably Dunedin's greatest community asset.
Moana Pool receives more than 660,000 visits a year - that's about 1800 people cramming in every day to swim, dive, splash, play, have fun, work and get fit.
There are elite freestylers, graceful divers, synchronised swimmers, talented water polo and underwater hockey and flipperball players, families and students, and lots of delighted children zipping down the hydroslide.
It has hosted major events, from world cups to national and Oceania championships. Back in 2004, it hosted an American squad including a young man who is now considered arguably the greatest swimmer of all time, Michael Phelps.
And, of course, for years it was the base for a revered coach and his unbelievably talented pupil, with pools at the complex now named after the late Duncan Laing and the great Danyon Loader.
Before the construction of Moana Pool in 1964, water-lovers in Dunedin had to be content with the old tepid baths in lower Moray Pl.
They were too small and soon hopelessly inadequate for the growing city, and a push to construct an Olympic-sized pool began.
The site chosen was the old Moana tennis club - hence the name - on Littlebourne Rd.
Major work started in 1961, and the facility, featuring a main pool and a diving well, was opened on November 14, 1964, at a cost of 450,000. A learners' pool was completed the following year, and a restaurant followed.
There has been significant work done on the pool over the last 47 years, with waterslides opened in 1984, new changing rooms, the introduction of a gym and sauna, and finally, sweeping redevelopment that introduced a leisure pool, a versatile deep-water pool and expanded gym facilities.
Moana Pool's sweeping views and natural light add to the lustre of a venue that continues to delight generations of Dunedin and Otago people.
