Making a splash: Thousands flock to Christchurch’s new pool complex

Tuesday, 6 January 2026

The Press reporter Elsie Williams, left, and journalist Alex Casey are just two of the thousands of people to test out the hydroslides at Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre.

Close to 10,000 people have slid their way down the hydroslides at Christchurch’s newest sport and recreation complex since it opened three weeks ago.

But, to get a turn, you need to be organised.

Each hour-long session, which takes 50 people, has been booked out, in most cases, at least a day in advance.

Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre opened to the public on December 17 after earlier hosting the Special Olympics.

The $500m, 32,000sqm complex is the largest of its kind in New Zealand and includes an Olympic-sized swimming pool and diving pool, leisure pools, spas, saunas, a gym and indoor courts.

The dive pool has also proved popular since the facility opened on December 17.

More than 63,000 people have visited the centre since it opened and more than 40,000 have used the pools.

Christchurch City Council recreation, sports and events head Nigel Cox said the pools, hydroslides and dive towers have been extremely busy over the summer holiday period.

There were no plans to increase the number of people allowed on each hydroslide booking, he said.

The busiest day so far was Friday, January 2 when 4680 came through the doors.

Due to the numbers, there have been queues most days at the entrance to the pools, but the facility has not reached capacity.

The entire facility can have up to 9500 people inside at any one time. The limit in the leisure pool area is 1200 and 1800 in the competition/dive pool area.

The council’s other pools have been quieter than previous years, Cox said, but there had been an extra 30,000 pool visitors across the entire network since December 17.

There have been three incidents at Parakiore where visitors have required medical attention. One was a rescue during the Special Olympics, when a swimmer swallowed water and became distressed.

Another visitor had a fall in the car park and a child was hurt after their foot became caught under double doors at the complex.

The door between the two pool halls, where the child was hurt, has been kept open to prevent further injuries while a longer-term solution is found, Cox said.

There have also been minor incidents, related to slips and bumps in the pool hall, requiring first aid, Cox said.

Parakiore had experienced teething issues with some systems and equipment, but Cox said most defects identified have been quickly resolved by the developer CPB.

There was a delay in fixing some issues because they were waiting on replacement parts including shower heads and change tables. These costs are met by CPB for the first 12 months.