Swimmers in Queenstown will soon be able to use the resort town's only aquatic centre, six months after it closed for repairs.
A family pool party is planned for the reopening of Alpine Aqualand in Queenstown next month. Photo: Google Maps
Alpine Aqualand was shut in September to repair its ceiling due to falling roof tiles. The Queenstown Lakes District Council now says the aquatic centre will reopen on 16 March.
The reopening was originally planned for December or January, but assessments found the ceiling damage was more extensive than previously thought.
Council sport and recreation manager, Simon Battrick, said the repairs were "really important work that has ensured the long-term future of Alpine Aqualand"
Workers also repaired the hydroslide, replaced floor liner in the pools, lay a new flooring surface in halls, and installed new signs.
The Arrowtown Pool which opened two months earlier than usual has been catering for the region's swimmers while Alpine Aqualand is being repaired.
Record numbers used the Arrowtown Pool over summer, Battrick said, but it will close for the season on 15 March to coincide with Alpine Aqualand's reopening.
"Scheduling this extra investment around the main work has removed the need for our annual pool [Aqualand] shutdown usually held in May for routine maintenance and a thorough clean, so the community will be able to keep swimming through that period," said Battrick.
The council is planning a family pool party at Aqualand on 21 March to celebrate the reopening.