Things go swimmingly during first week at Whanganui East Pool

Aquatic service manager Lucy Thompson said a successful recruitment drive had boosted staffing levels for Whanganui pools. Photo / Bevan Conley

Wet weather arrived just as the Whanganui East Aquatic Centre opened for 2023 but it has not deterred swimmers from turning up every day to enjoy the pools and hydroslide.

The temperatures have been warm all week and centre staff said people had been flocking to the pool daily since it opened on Monday.

Whanganui District Council’s aquatic service manager Lucy Thompson said a lot of work had gone into preparing the centre for opening.

“Maintenance manager Jason Bills did all the work during the Christmas break with some help from the council facilities staff.

“The pools had to be cleaned and there was other maintenance and repair work that had to be completed before the centre opened and Jason made sure it was all completed in time.”

Last year the centre was closed to the public and open only to school groups because of a staffing shortage.

“It was hard because there was barely enough staff for the Splash Centre,” Thompson said.

“We started a recruitment drive in September and we have managed to employ six more lifeguards and there are five more completing the training.”

Lifeguard Phoenix Grammaticogiannis was happy to be taking a break from the beach to serve at the pool this summer. Photo / Bevan Conley

Whanganui lifeguard Phoenix Grammaticogiannis, who is most often seen patrolling Castlecliff and Kai Iwi beaches in summer, has joined the poolside team at Whanganui East this year.

He is joined by five other lifeguards. There is a minimum of four at any time, along with allocation for the hydroslide which opens at 1pm daily.

Mel Tamou celebrated 30 years of working summers at the Whanganui East Pool on Thursday.

“It’s great to be open for summer and see familiar faces turning up,” she said.

“There have been quite a few visitors who were home for the holidays and have great memories of swimming here as kids.”

Stacey Clarke was at the pool with her children Parlay, 14, and Jayda, 9.

“I loved coming here every summer when we were kids and my kids love it now.

“It’s great that there are these shade cloths up now so you can relax out of the sun.”

Saedys Rowe, 9, takes a back flip off the diving board at Whanganui East Pool. Photo / Bevan Conley

The weather was perfect for swimming on Friday and young swimmers were covering themselves in sunblock supplied from the mega-sized bottle beside the centre office.

Thompson said it had not yet been decided when the Whanganui East Aquatic Centre would close for the season.

“Because it has only just opened we don’t want to close it too soon when lots of people are visiting,” she said.

“We will see how it’s going and decide on a date later in the summer.”

The pool will be open from 10am to 6pm Monday to Thursday, and 10am to 5pm Friday to Sunday. Costs are adults $4, children $3, preschoolers and spectators $1.50, and $11 for a family pass.