The Whakatāne Aquatic Centre will be closed to the public on Thursday, 25 July to allow contractors to carry out scheduled building and plant maintenance at the facility.

Whakatāne District Council Manager Aquatics and Recreation, Sarah Clarke, says the maintenance closure is inconvenient but necessary. “We’re aware the closure falls during the school holidays, but it is timed so that there will be no disruption to the Learn to Swim and Aquacise programmes,” she says. “Nationally, many aquatic centres close for one or two weeks each year to carry out essential maintenance and improvements. We’ve managed to keep ours to a one-day closure, so hopefully, the community will recognise that the disruption involved will be relatively minor.”

The closure does not mean a day off for the Whakatāne Aquatic Centre staff, however. “We’ll be making the most of the downtime by organising an all-day training programme," Ms Clarke says. “There are few opportunities for pool staff to carry out training sessions together, so this is also an ideal team-building opportunity for us.”

Normal hours will resume on Friday, 26 July, with the pool open from 6 am to 8 pm. Ms Clarke also reminds the community of the pool’s Family Fun Days, which now run every Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm. The Aquatic Centre offers a special pool and hydroslide rate for Family Fun Days, with children paying $5.00 (normally $6.70) and adults $7.00 ($8.50).

“Our Family Fun Day on 28 July will be a great way for families to wrap up the school holidays together. We’ll have our inflatable playground in action throughout the day and families can also enjoy our toddler pools, water features, spa pools and hydroslide,” she says.