Posted February 28, 2019
Waiau was hit hard by November 2016, 7.8 earthquake, and now, after a long journey to get there, we're so happy to celebrate with them after the recent opening of their brand new lap pool and learners pool!
Waiau, a small, rural, North Canterbury town of approximately 250 people, was left without a swimming pool after it was damaged beyond repair during the earthquakes. The Waiau River Valley suffers extreme seasonal temperatures, with mid-summer days in the early to mid 30 degrees a regular occurrence in this area. With only the Waiau river to swim in, and the community's strong desire to have all local children taught to be safe in and around water, the Waiau Pool Committee set themselves a massive task to replace the pool that they had lost.
A small group of working parents, with bigger hearts than most, began the daunting task of fundraising the required $1.6 million to build a new swimming pool complex for the Waiau Primary School and the greater community. With unwavering determination, this little community have achieved their epic goal and are now the proud owners of a sparkling new Myrtha Stainless steel 25m lap and 10m learners pool.
Coombes Aquatics Limited, accompanied by a talented team of local and Christchurch contractors, started digging the pool foundations and changing shed foundations early November 2018. As the work progressed we all looked forward to the pools grand opening, which was celebrated on Saturday the 23rd of February 2019 with the greater Waiau Community.
Our team would also like to thank the Waiau Pool Committee for their unwavering hospitality over the duration of this build. Emma Duncan and Billy Lott were key community drivers of this fantastic pool rebuild project, and Billy even went as far as excavating a safe water hole in the Waiau river for the community to stay cool in while the new pool was been built!
Congratulations to the Waiau Pool Committee and the wider Waiau community for making the new pool build a reality! Their hard work has resulted in this incredible gift to the community of both the enjoyment of the pool and the water-safety education that will come about from its use, benefiting the many generations of local children and families to come.
The Australasian Leisure magazine also featured Waiau's incredible pool rebuild story in the August 2019 issue.
