Pool: Rotorua - Rotorua Aquatic Centre
http://www.rotoruanz.com/
Grade: A-
The Good: Acres of varied pool space. A fast 25m pool. Tidy and well kept. Friendly and helpful poolside staff.
The Ugly: Some pools are relaxed easy-going places to visit. Others appear paralyzed with rules. Rotorua seems a bit like that.
Reflections: The complex is a good one made up of a 25m lap pool, a couple of play pools and an outdoor heated 50m pool. The 25m pool has a justified reputation for being the fastest in New Zealand. It has certainly seen more than its share of New Zealand records. The water is deep, the blocks are big and high and it has good natural light. Because there are so many pools there is usually heaps of space and the play pools keep the waifs out of the lap lanes. SNZ have held the Winter Nationals there several times. Because there is little permanent seating they build scaffolding stands right on the poolside. It creates a fantastic atmosphere. It's a bit like the running tracks in Zurich and Oslo where the crowd are stacked around the edge of the track. The last time the Nationals were held in Rotorua, we loved the comment of one Australian team member," We came to New Zealand - and it stinks." Thermal activity or not Rotorua is New Zealand's best 25m racing pool. The staff are friendly and helpful although the Manager has attitude for some reason. Probably just us. The outdoor pool is not a fast racing pool. On a nice day it's a good place to do a training session and the water is a pleasant temperature all year.

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