Kāpiti Mayor Janet Holborow ready to give Te Manu Rere a go. Photo / David Haxton
Kāpiti Mayor Janet Holborow ready to give Te Manu Rere a go. Photo / David Haxton
Coastlands Aquatic Centre’s 10th anniversary has been marked in style with Kāpiti Mayor Janet Holborow torpedoing along a purpose-built flying fox called Te Manu Rere.
She had two turns today after learning on her first attempt that you need to “hold on tight”.
Despite that, she said riding the flying fox was “so much fun”.
Kāpiti Coast District Council chief executive Darren Edwards was a natural as he surged off a platform, whizzed across the main pool, lurched back after hitting a stopper, let go, and performed a well-executed manu bomb.
Not one to miss out on the fun, councillor Martin Halliday also had a go on the flying fox - fully clothed.
Council aquatic facilities manager Steve Millar said installing a flying fox has been in the works for a while.
When he started at the council in 2018, he knew there were existing plans for a flying fox, and he wanted to see it completed.
But after having the delivery and engineering of the flying fox pushed back by Covid, it was finally added during the aquatic centre’s recent biannual maintenance closure.
He said the addition of the flying fox was a simple process as it had no potential risk of affecting the building or causing a health and safety risk, and would be easy to manage.
Kapiti Coast District Council chief executive Darren Edwards gives the Coastlands Aquatic Centre's flying fox, called Te Manu Rere, a go. Photo / David Haxton
“From a health and safety point of view it was a bit of a no-brainer – it’s over water.”
The flying fox cost somewhere between $32,000 and $33,000 to build, including the steel platform, and will only require a once-yearly inspection.
Millar said they had Steelworks NZ check the steel columns too to ensure they were safe and built as the plan said.
Safety is paramount too, with children requiring “deep water bands” to be in that part of the main pool.
With the aquatic centre’s shift to try and do more with local schools, Millar said they wanted to give children a mix between water safety and fun, which the flying fox will help to achieve.
Neil Mackay, who was chairman of the trust when fundraising and construction for the aquatic centre happened, said though the aquatic centre was a long project, the level of community commitment meant it’s become somewhat of a community hub.
Holborow agreed with Mackay and said the initial fundraising “really made the aquatic centre feel like a community facility” and was also impressed with how it still looks much the same as it did when it was first built.
“I remember walking in here the first time before it opened, and it doesn’t look much different now.”
Holborow gave special thanks to Mackay as well as former councillor Diane Ammundsen who spearheaded the pool’s fundraising campaign, Jenny Rowan who was mayor when the aquatic centre was built, and former senior manager Tamsin Evans who kept a close eye on the project.
