Diving popular in Raetihi

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 14, Issue 675, 25 February 1997, Page 8

Diving popular in Raetihi

The Raetihi s wimming baths are a popular venue these days among locals who are looking for ways to cool off during the current spell of fine hot weather ... more than 100 swimmers took to the cooling waters on each of the two days of the A & P Show weekend. The main attraction of these baths - officially the W orld War II War Memorial Baths - are the two diving boards which other open-air pools in the Waimarino area do not have. Children in particular are usually having to queue for both the high 3m board and the lm board. These baths have served the Raetihi community well for more than half a century but not in their present form ... the first of the pools was what is now the toddlers pool but was at first a 25yd pool. When it was decided to build what is

now the main 33yd x 42ft (30m x 13m) pool in 1955/56 a Queen Carnival was staged to raise the money from the local community. When the main pool was built the original pool was shortened and shallowed to become the toddler's pool. Up until two years ago the Raetihi Baths day-to-day running had been administered by members of the Raetihi swimming Club though the Raetihi Borough Council accepted overall responsibility for any major expenses. Early members of the swimming club recall that, before the filtration plant was installed the pool would have to be emptied every Saturday so that it could be cleaned before it was refilled. The 3m diving board platform was originally Ohakune' s, but when Ohakune decided to make their pool shallower in the early 1980's, it was re-installed in Raetihi

where it helped two young local swimmers, Sherrilyn Condon and Wayne Te Huia, gain recognition under the tutelage of diving coach Synthia Binzegger. The Raetihi swimming season is of the same length as Ohakune' s even though the Raetihi baths are not heated. A solar panel heating system was installed some years ago but, after some initial problems associated with the compatibility between the heating system and the filtration plant, the solar panels were disconnected. Despite this, water temperatures in the main pool average 19-20°C and sometimes reach 22-23°C though when the solar heating was operating, it succeeded in raising the temperature by another 5 degrees. In order to try to extend the swimming season the Raetihi swimming club launched a "Chills Off' campaign in 1986 to cover the pool, once again seeking community support with funding on a one-for-one subsidy. However, as contributions increased so did costs and, when Chills Off reached $87,000 the idea was put on hold until it was decided what alternative options were available. The club is currently looking at purchasing a thermal blanket cover and once again heating the pool. Until then the Raetihi swimming baths will have to close for the season at about the same time as Ohakune, possibly some time in early March and won't re-open until late November/early December.