Watch: Mayor Wayne Brown ‘reckons it’s cool’, takes plunge at Auckland’s newest attraction

Wednesday, 18 December 2024

The floating outdoor pool was built using repurposed pontoons, and features four lanes.

The pool was built by Eke Panuku, the council organisation recently voted to be disestablished by Auckland councillors.

The mayor believes outdoor pools are better than expensive indoor chlorinated options.

Wayne Brown continues to ride a wave as Mayor of Auckland with the opening of the new Karanga Harbour swimming pool.

In the shadows of the recently repaired Wynyard Crossing Bridge, the new city centre pool opens on Friday, at a cost of $500,000.

Brown took a dip in the pool before it opened, to test it out, and he gave it a thumbs up, believing it will be a popular attraction for Aucklanders and visitors to the city.

The pool will be free to use, open during daylight hours, with lifeguards on duty during peak times and a changing room built nearby.

“Well, I'm delighted, really,” Brown said.

“It was my idea that we would have a floating outdoor swimming pool, because we have swimming pools all over Auckland.

“But by the time you build them and then close them in and have all the safety things, the chlorine and all that other stuff, they cost millions of dollars and they're not really nice in terms of not having the outdoor fresh air, and why not swim in the sea?

“The sea is right here and there's our lovely city just there,” Brown added, pointing towards the Sky Tower.

“And I'm thinking, ‘Wow, what a cool thing’. We've got all the bars and all the entertainment down here.

“I wanted to have one like this so that kids can go into that beach-type thing and people who want to swim can do up and down lengths.”

Brown said the costs for this pool were significantly less than others in the region. It was built by Eke Panuku, the council-controlled organisation, which councillors voted to disestablish last week.

The pool is 33 metres long and has four lanes for swimmers doing laps and a shallower area for relaxing or playing. It was built using pontoons that weren’t being used and have been re-purposed.

“The first time we raised this, Eke Panuku said it will be $5 million. I was thinking, 'Oh, my God, you're not getting my message,” Brown said.

He had hoped to get the pool built for $100,000, but the need for fences and other safety measures, along with changing facilities, took it up to $500,000.

Sydney is famous for its iconic ocean pools, particularly at Bondi Beach. Brown hopes this new outdoor pool becomes a landmark and he’d like to have more erected.

'I hope we end up having two or three of these around the city because they're not expensive and we've got quite a few places to put these.

“There's nothing like the outdoors and it's not that cold in winter, you can just put a little bit of rubber on and swim up and down.

“There are people that swim in the harbour. It can be a bit dangerous because boats and things are there. So, I reckon it's cool. I'm sure people will enjoy it.”

With the Wynyard Crossing Bridge closed for most of the year, it will be a welcome relief for local businesses to now have it open, as well as the pool to encourage people to visit the area and Brown says it should give this part of the city a boost.

“Well if it doesn't, they've got to look at their own businesses really, we have provided everything to get people here and people do love coming down here,” the 78-year-old mayor said.

“The most successful thing that was done last year for value for money was the Red Bull high diving. People loved that, people like being near the water and Auckland is the best city in the world to be near the water.”