| Pool:
Wellington - Wellington Regional Aquatic Centre
Grade: A-
The Good: Well designed
The Ugly: Boring
Reflections: With this pool we have a council
who did something properly. It’s big with a 50m pool
that is 25m across. The main pool is normally divided into
thirds – a shallow end for playing, medium for lap
swimming and deep end for water polo and diving. They have
another 25m four lane pool and a modest shallow paddling
pool. They have also done a good job of their programs.
Their 50s Forward Club is very popular. It does not have
the character of a Moana or Newmarket. But then the people
running it do not have the personality of a John Faye either.
It is a modern, nice well run University Cafe. The others
are Il Casino. One annoying habit they do have is to make
the lap lanes too narrow during the busy 3.30 to 6.00pm
period, This is dangerous and has caused injury. You would
never find them doing that at Newmarket. Up there the customer
has a genuine value. Nevertheless if you’re looking
for a boring but efficient swim this pool will do the trick.
Pool:
Raumati - Raumati Pool
Grade: C+
The Good: Heaps of activity, a busy place
The Ugly: During a swim meet it is hell
Reflections: Raumati is an old 33 yard
pool that has been shortened to 25m with the bit left over
converted into a learn to swim pond. There is another small
learners pool as well. Like a lot of these old pool conversions
it is not the flashest pool in New Zealand. That hasn’t
been all that important. Over the years one or two of NZ’s
very best swimmers came out of the Raumati Pool. Adrian
Doig was the coach there for a long number of years and
did a fine job. They still have some good results. One word
of caution – if you can avoid it never go to an age
group meet at Eaumati. The low roof and restricted spectator
space makes the heat and noise a nightmare. I like pools
like Raumati though. They are real swimmer’s pools.
Pool:
Wellington - Keith Spry Pool
Grade: C
The Good: It is a SWIMMING pool –
or
The Ugly: It isn’t a SWIMMING pool
Reflections: Keith Spry Pool’s a
mess. There is a diving board thing that’s not good
enough for diving. There are a couple of lanes but the length
is strange so you can’t train properly. There are
some fountains and slides but they are fairly understated.
There is a bit of everything. What’s that joke about
a camel being a horse designed by a Committee? Keith Spry’s
like that, and the Committee was made up of Parks and Recreation
sorts. We have no idea whether it is true or not but the
story went around that they intentionally made the pool
a silly length to stop training and competition. They obviously
wanted a pool for fat kids to play in. We expect to see
“Save the Whale” signs erected and a tree planted
at the far end for group hugs. Come to think of it, Keith
Spry’s the perfect pool for a district run by the
United Future Party. It is clean and tidy and bright and
cheery. Like the United Future Party though, no one can
figure why it’s actually there.
Pool:
Wellington - Naenae Olympic Pool
Grade: B
The Good: 50m divided at 25m, deep, good
facilities
The Ugly: Boring
Reflections: Naenae is hard to describe.
In the old days it would have been easy. It was the open
air 50m pool where the Wellington Championships were held.
The pool runs north/south and in a Wellington gale swimming
the Wellington champs was like getting through a heavy sea
off Piha Beach. Even the cold had its good points. A rug,
a cozy friend and a swim meet just flew by. Now it’s
covered and has some water slides and a 25m boom. The Swim
City squad train there and – an – a. We’re
plumb out of ideas.
Pool:
Wellington - Cannons Creek
Grade:
B-
The
Good: Its results
The
Ugly: They are too modest
Reflections:
We have spoken before about how swimming pools have a personality.
It is a wee while since we were at Cannons Creek but when
we were it reflected its surroundings. None of the self-confidence
of Tawa or the sweating, expensive Lycra of Freyberg. Here
there was a shy humility and gratitude that you had driven
all the way from Wellington to go for a swim. And the funny
thing is there is no need for Cannon’s Creek to feel
inferior. Because Cannons Creek is an important swimming
pool. It proves a point. It proves you don’t need
the flashiest facilities in the world. If you have the right
people a pool can be a winner. In those days the Young boys
swam there and Alan Wong coached with iron control. He’s
one of the best coaches around and from Cannons Creek he
produced results his posh neighbors could only dream about.
Many would do well to remember Cannons Creek when they moan
that they can’t win a swimming race because their
pool isn’t good enough.
Pool:
Wellington - Huia Pool
Grade: B+
The Good: It is a good community pool
The Ugly: It does not realize that’s
what it is.
Reflections: Swimming pools do have a personality.
It comes from a variety of factors. The size and significance
of the pool is obviously one. It would be difficult to describe
the Sydney Pool as a local community facility. The location’s
another. A pool on an expensive golf course in Auckland
is different from the pool at Cannons Creek or Flaxmere.
Staff too play an important part. Huia is a pool with a
bad case of small-man’s syndrome. It’s a little
place that wishes it was Moana or Newmarket. It’s
in the Hutt but wishes it was in Wellington. It’s
really a nice community pool but I bet it has a corporate
mission statement to die for. It is as pretentious as all
hell. It’s a nice pool though with attractive natural
light, a lovely learner’s pool and a novel moveable
floor. Kick boards are always available and backstroke flags
and lane ropes are good quality. The poolside staff have
always been helpful and courteous. It is a good pool to
go for a swim. It’s just a bit self-important that’s
all.
Pool:
Wellington - Wainui-o-mata Pool
Grade: B-
The Good: It is a local communities facility
The Ugly: It's outdoors and it's Wellington
Reflections: The Wainui Pool is a 50m outdoor
facility with a learner's pool and a good water slide. Because
it is in Wellington, that does not have the best climate
for out door swimming, its use as a training pool is limited.
On a hot day though it is one of the nicest places in the
town to do a workout. The staff still have the same community
pool quality you find at the Stokes Valley Pool. The history
of the pool is interesting. It was built before Wainui town
was part of Lower Hutt. It was built as a result of local
volunteer effort. Sausage sizzles, volunteer labor, donated
concrete, bequeathed money and gifted land - they did it
all. When Wainui was amalgamated into Lower Hutt the pool
came under the management of there slick Swim City organization.
The problem is Lower Hutt inherited the pool and has done
nothing with it. The pool is tired. It needs upgrading so
it can be used all year and the Hutt Council owes that to
the Wainui Community.
Pool:
Wellington - Upper Hutt Pool
Grade:
C
The
Good: For play or blobbing - nothing
The
Ugly: For lap training - everything
Reflections:
Upper Hutt’s pool is similar to Auckland’s Papakura
Pool. They have both been designed by a committee determined
the product of their labours wiil be FUN for everyone. You
can see the decision making process," We must have
a spa and a sauna. Children love a slide. Don’r forget
a wave machine and some fountains. Hold on, we forgot the
river ride." And it’s all there, which is fine
unless you want to lap swim and they want to play Sunset
Beach. Having said that it is a modern pool, the water is
a good depth and the facility is well looked after. It is
just that the impression you get is the Upper Hutt pool
people are more interested in play than they are in swimmers
who want to train for fitness or to win a swimming race.
Quite honestly the genuine lap swimmer would be better-off
driving the small distance to the Stokes Valley Pool.
Pool:
Wellington - Thorndon Pool
0-4-472-8055
Grade: B -
The Good: Character, open air, flutter
boards and pull buoys supplied. The water is heated to a
good lap swimming temperature and, on average is a good
depth.
The Ugly: It doesn't have a café or any of that posh
stuff but around Thorndon who needs that at the pool anyway.
Reflections: We've graded it a B - because
it is an outdoor pool and therefore not open most of the
year. It is also a bit run down. The concrete surrounds
are a bit rough. The changing rooms are small but are quaintly
supplemented by a row of old fashioned single changing sheds.
Thorndon's most endearing feature is its filtration system.
Water is pumped in at one end and out the other. This creates
a current. Good swimmers who would normally swim 33.3 yards
in 17 strokes take 15 at Thorndon going one way and 19 coming
back. If you want to impress anyone with your speed go to
Thorndon and sprint towards the Wellington Girl's College
end. Make sure your mate does his swim going back the other
way. Having said that Thorndon is the best pool of its type
in New Zealand. It's an open-air version of Auckland's "Teps".
Thorndon has character. It is a block away from Parliament
and gets crowded with suits at lunch- time on a sunny day.
We suppose one day someone will have the idea that it needs
money spent on it and wreck the whole thing. If anyone hears
of it happening let us know and we will join the march to
Parliament.
Pool:
Wellington - Stokes Valley Pool
Grade: B
The Good: Well run by agreeable people
The Ugly: Nothing we could find
Reflections: The pool is a nicely appointed
25m pool with a play pool beach set off to one side. Good
use of windows gives the pool an open fresh feel. It has
good lane ropes and provides kick boards and pull buoys.
The staff are execeptionally helpful. The lanes are not
overused and there is usually space to enjoy your workout.
The pool's main problem is one of identity. We feel its
manager and staff are trying to run a friendly Stokes Valley
Community pool. Their bosses down in Lower Hutt have buisness
plans and corporate images to persue. The Stokes Valley
staff, of course, are right and are doing a good job of
running a "local-pool" in the big city. If you
are visiting Wellington pop out to Stokes Valley for a swim.
You will be made to feel very welcome.
Pool:
Wellington - Freyberg Pool
Grade: B-
The Good: It concentrates on fitness training,
both swimming and gym.
The Ugly: It's a bit boring
Reflections: For swimwatch there are a
lot of memories around Freyberg Pool. We were there the
morning the Wahine sank and sheets of glass blew in and
shattered in the pool. There's a few in swimming probably
wish we'd been under them! We were there and trained with
Pru Chapman as she prepared unbelievably hard for the1968
Olympic Games. We were unable to get to her funeral but
we're more pleased we shared those twelve months. We were
there and watched Keith Hancox swim in Oriental Bay in the
middle of winter to prepare for the cold of swimming Cook
Strait. We won our only senior Wellington Championship in
Freyberg Pool. Today many swim their warm up faster. The
pool is 36.3yards long. It has been done up a lot and now
includes a fitness centre and spas. We think WCC's idea
was to do an Auckland "Teps" or Newmarket. It
hasn't really worked. The place is still more of a University
cafeteria than a Thorndon cafe. However it does have a wonderful
location and is pretty well completely focused on fitness
conditioning of one sort or another. It is a good depth,
it helps with pull buoys and the like and the lane ropes,
backstroke flags and starting blocks are good. In the effort
to do things properly it's become a bit bland. Don't get
us wrong you'll have a good workout at Freyberg, you'll
just have more fun at Thorndon.
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