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Address 100 Customs St W, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand Hours Closed now Wednesday5:30AM–9PMThursday5:30AM–9PMFriday5:30AM–9PMSaturday7AM–7PMSunday7AM–7PMMonday5:30AM–9PMTuesday5:30AM–9PMSuggest an edit Similar Princes Wharf, Victoria Park - Auckland, Britomart Transport Centre, Grand Hotel, New Zealand Maritime | ||
Wet hot beauties whb at the tepid baths reopening
The Tepid Baths are historical indoor public pools in Auckland, New Zealand. Built in 1914 on the previous site of a small drydock, it quickly met great public approval, with 30,000 visitors in the first two months. In mid-2012, the baths re-opened following a major rebuild.
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History
The Tepid Baths was originally leased from the Auckland Harbour Board, and contain two separate pools, a "male" (25 m, 6 lanes) and "female" (18 m, 4 lane). The "male" pool was the largest in New Zealand at the time. The pools were heated with hot water from the nearby tramways power plant, the system being considered an engineering masterpiece of its time.
The pools were not only extensively used for both recreational and competitive swimming, but also for some other uses - in one event, a pentecostal minister baptised a hundred new faithful in the pools (in about 1931). Two sports champions were Custodians at the Tepid Baths, swimmer Malcolm Champion (who frequently swam across the harbour to his North Shore home) and runner Billy Savidan.
In 1974, the salt water pools (previously fed from the Waitemata Harbour) were transformed into fresh water pools, primarily for maintenance reasons. The facility was refurbished in 1986 and again after the YMCA received the management lease in 1997 from Auckland City Council. Renovations include new sauna and steam room, and a gym on the upper level (YMCA club members only). Nowadays, a large part of the Tepid Baths' customers are people working in the Auckland CBD who swim here before or after work.
In November 2009 it was announced that the Tepid Baths are to close for a period of up to four years for a $12 million restoration project to address structural issues excacerbated by the saltwater effects on the structure. It was hoped the pool will be open again for its 100th anniversary in 2014. The baths closed on 18 April 2010, while the Y-Fitness Centre had already moved to new purpose-built facilities at the ANZ Centre in Albert Street. While the restoration costs rose later to approximately $16 million, the pools were only closed until mid-2012, and have now been reopened.
In late 2012, the restored building won the New Zealand Project Management Institute's (PMINZ) Public Sector Project of the Year award.