A 4-year-old is in hospital after nearly drowning at Mount Maunganui Hot Saltwater Pools.
The girl was swimming with family at the Adams Ave pools on Wednesday when she got into trouble about 7.30pm.
The girl was pulled from the water after becoming submerged while her father was not looking. CPR was
not performed as the girl was still conscious but coughing.
An ambulance was called and she was admitted to Tauranga Hospital's intensive care unit.
A hospital spokeswoman said the girl had been moved into a pediatric ward and was stable this morning.
Tauranga City Aquatics Limited CEO Tania Delahunty said it appeared the girl had followed her father into a pool.
"She stepped off a step in a deeper part of the pool and was submerged for about 10 seconds," Ms Delahunty said.
"It just really, for us, highlights the need for parents to be vigilant with children around water.
"It highlights how quickly children can get out of their depth."
Ms Delahunty said the last incident at the pools was in December 2009 and an ambulance was always called when someone had swallowed water at the pools as inhaling salt water could cause secondary drowning.
A St John ambulance spokesman said they were regularly called to incidents involving children at the pools.
"It's a controlled place - there are lifeguards there - but we have been to a few [incidents] down there involving children," he said.
"It's weird. You would think there are so many people there, but it happens."
Water Safety New Zealand manager Matt Claridge said a fun outing could turn into a potentially tragic incident in a matter of seconds.
Already this Christmas and New Year period, 10 people have drowned in New Zealand.
Two of the 10 drownings involved pre-school children - one in a home pool and another in a river.
