Artist impression of the new open-air saltwater swimming pool at Wynyard Harbour.
Artist impression of the new open-air saltwater swimming pool at Wynyard Harbour.
Auckland is getting a new open-air saltwater swimming pool at the Viaduct Harbour this summer.
The 33m-long pool will be set around the Karanga Plaza tidal steps and enclosed by floating pontoons to separate swimmers from the harbour’s navigation channel.
Eke Panuku, Auckland Council’s development agency, said construction on the pool would start next month as a pilot project to test the concept of a permanent swimming pool on the waterfront. The construction cost is about $500,000 and running costs will be $150,000 a year.
The tidal steps are already a popular spot for swimming, and the water quality is regularly monitored and tested, and included on the council’s Safeswim website.
The new pool will provide a larger area for swimmers with four 33m-long swimming lanes with lane ropes, and ladders for access; a jumping platform with handrails and a grab rail; and changing sheds, showers, and lockers in Karanga Plaza on the Wynyard Quarter side of the Viaduct Basin alongside the closed Te Wero bridge.
A Panuku spokeswoman said the agency was working with the council’s pools and leisure group on whether to have lifeguards at the pool, and expected to have a decision next month.
The pool is expected to be open by the end of December and free to use during daylight hours.
Artist impression of the new pool at the Karanga Plaza steps.
The idea for the pool stems from Mayor Wayne Brown’s desire for a saltwater swimming pool as part of plans around the finger wharves — including Queens, Captain Cook and Marsden wharves — at the port end of the waterfront.
“We’ve got one of the most beautiful waterfronts in the world, and yet we can’t swim in it. I’m determined to transform it into a vibrant public space everyone can enjoy” Brown told the Herald.
“The new pool down at Wynard Quarter, which I’ve secured at very low cost to ratepayers, is just a taste of what is to come.”
Plans developed by Panuku for this area last year include an open-air seawater swimming pool, aquaculture, te ao Māori showcase centre, and an amphitheatre in the water.
Having considered options for a pilot pool, Panuku chose the Karanga Plaza tidal steps because it is already being used for swimming and meets water quality standards.
The Parnell baths further along the waterfront at Judges Bay are the country’s largest saltwater pool, and have been a popular swimming spot for 110 years.
The Parnell Baths have been a popular saltwater pool for 110 years. Photo / Alex Burton
Meanwhile, Eke Panuku said the pedestrian Te Wero bridge is expected to reopen in December.
The footbridge closed in April when the two arms were permanently raised, severing a business lifeline that links the Viaduct Basin and Wynyard Quarter.
A 250-tonne-capacity jack-up barge is expected to arrive in Auckland on Monday to remove the bridge spans for protective coating repairs off site and work on other critical steel repairs.
Wynyard Quarter bar owner Tricky Hartley has been critical of the slow repair to the Wynyard Quarter footbridge. Photo / Jason Oxenham
The Panuku board agreed this week to expand the Red Boats ferry service in place of the bridge to operate seven days a week, with extended hours from August 1.
