Dunedin's Moana Pool marks 50 years of operations

Moana Pool in Dunedin, the facility that has been home to some of New Zealand’s swimming greats, The training ground for a number of Dunedin champions including Olympic medal winner Danyon Loader and his legendary coach, the late Duncan Laing, the pool has also been home to Paralympic medallist Jenny Newstead and Commonwealth Games medallist Dave Gerrard.

To celebrate the anniversary an image exhibition showcasing the opening of the pool 50 years ago is being launched today (Friday 14th November) while on Sunday, 16th November, the facility will host a pool party with some brand new inflatables, coffee and ice-cream, prizes, entertainment, music and good times for the whole family.

Opened in 1964, Moana Pool is the largest swimming pool in the southern half of New Zealand's South Island.

Developed to replace the Moray Place 1914 Tepid Pools, Moana Pool cost £450,000 to build and took its name from the site where the old Moana Tennis Club had been located previously.

Moana Pool was ahead of its time when it was finished and quickly gained a reputation for being one of the best pools in the Southern Hemisphere as it was architecturally designed to take advantage of natural light and undergo upgrades and additions without having to adjust the core structure.

The facility has changed over its 50 years expanding from its original design of a main pool and dive pool to incorporate more activities and facilities.

Today it features a main pool of Olympic dimensions (50 metres x  17.5 metres) which is kept heated to 28.5 degrees Celsius and which can be divided by a moveable bulkhead into two 25 metre pools; The original diving pool, which is still in use, is 13m by 7.2m with two 1m boards, a 3m board and a high 5m platform. The learners' pool was competed and opened in 1965, and a small restaurant was added to the facilities in the same year.

Between 1984 and 1990, two hydroslides (waterslides) were added to the complex, and additions to the learners pool to encourage young families were also made. The restaurant was removed in 1991, replaced by gym facilities, and the sun terrace was revamped, removing two trampolines which had been located there. The gym's facilities were extensively enlarged in 2006.

A major expansion to the complex in 2000/01 was undertaken under the supervision of city council architect Robert Tongue. This removed much of the sun terrace, replacing it with a wave pool and leisure complex, revamped and upgraded much of the complex's reception area, and extended the main pool complex with the addition of new, Olympic-standard, diving facilities.

Moana Pool has been used for regional and national championships in swimming, diving, and water polo, and is a regular host of the New Zealand Masters' Games, which are held in Dunedin every two years.

2nd February 2013 - INTERIM SWIM COACHING ARRANGEMENTS AT DUNEDIN’S MOANA POOL 

11th January 2013 - DUNEDIN SWIM COACHING BOARD MEMBERS NAMED

3rd January 2013 - DUNEDIN SWIM COACHING BOARD TO BE FORMED 

8th August 2012 - SWIM COACHING CHANGES AT DUNEDIN’S MOANA POOL

13th January 2012 - WATER SAFETY CAMPAIGN TARGETS HIGH MAORI DROWNING RATES

20th May 2011 - MANUKAU SWIM PROGRAM DELIVERS 200,000 FREE LESSONS 

4th April 2011 - AUSTSWIM TRAINING LAUNCHES IN NEW ZEALAND

4th November 2009 - SCHOOL SWIMMING POOL CLOSURES RISING