The Carterton Indoor Community Pool, built by locals nearly 40 years ago, has long provided safe, warm, year round swimming for families, schools and clubs across Wairarapa.
Generations have learned to swim here, and its reach now extends well beyond the Carterton District.
“Given how many people come from outside Carterton, it’s been suggested we rename it the Wairarapa Indoor Community Pool,” says Catherine RossiterStead, Chair of the pool building upgrade project and a South Wairarapa resident. “Almost 40% of users live in South Wairarapa, and 85% of those are children developing confidence in the water. It’s the only indoor community pool in Southern Wairarapa.”
“Almost 40% of users live in South Wairarapa, and 85% of those are children developing confidence in the water. It’s the only indoor community pool in Southern Wairarapa.”
RossiterStead, former primary school principal Clare Crawford, and project team member Jason Markham recently met with Mayor Fran Wilde to discuss the future of the ageing building. Crawford says access to the indoor pool has been vital for
local schools.
“When I was at Kahutara and South End Schools, we could take groups of children during winter and give them a decent hour of swimming in a warm environment,” she says. “We have to keep kids safe, and swimming lessons are expensive. We’re a country of rivers and beaches, so having closer access to an all year round pool is essential for Southern Wairarapa families.”
“We’re a country of rivers and beaches, so having closer access to an all year round pool is essential for Southern Wairarapa families.”
The team outlined why the current structure is nearing the end of its life and presented the preferred concept design: a retractable aluminium and polycarbonate enclosure with new adjoining amenity spaces, estimated at just over $3 million. “Mayor Wilde was genuinely supportive,” says RossiterStead. “The next step is meeting South Wairarapa Councillors to discuss the project further.”
To help fund the upgrade, the project team is seeking grants, sponsorship, community donations and support through fundraising events — including the Alternative Garden Tour on Saturday 24 October during Labour Weekend.
The self-guided tour features six distinctive gardens across the Carterton District. Visitors can choose to see one garden or all six, paying $5 at each gate. Highlights include a colourful cottage garden, a hobbit house tucked along a native QE2 walkway, a large country garden with a water feature and rose pergola, a well appointed town garden, a bush garden filled with Rhododendrons and Hydrangeas, and a garden showcasing sculptures, artworks, a food forest and an extensive vegetable patch.
Lavender Abbey will also host a Gardener’s Trail Talk at 2pm, with a $10 donation supporting the pool project.
For more information on the Carterton Indoor Community Pool Project and to download an Alternative Garden Tour map visit: https://www.cartertonpool.co.nz/.
