"I was born and bred here, so I remember what the pools were like and even when Marineland was over there it was very popular.
"Most people that we've spoken to say bring it back."
She said Mr Hunt had spoken to local iwi who said they didn't have a claim over the land, so the next step was getting a ruling overturned that prohibits building on Moturiki Island.
Social media has also been abuzz over the park, as almost 7000 people have liked the Facebook page Bring Back Leisure Island Pools.
"You can see from the comments on the page that people are really enthusiastic and think it's a great idea," page creator Timmy Nator said.
Tauranga MP Simon Bridges said the pools would be a drawcard to the city for tourists as well as people from all over New Zealand.
"The $64 million question is can we find someone with the deep pockets to make it happen."
Kristin Dunne, head of marketing at Tourism Bay of Plenty, said Moturiki Island was popular with locals and tourists the way it is now.
"We feel most of the community would prefer to keep Moturiki Island in its beautiful, natural state," she said.
Tourism Bay of Plenty was not concerned that half the 220,000 cruise ship passengers who come through the port each season travel to other attractions in New Zealand instead of staying in Tauranga.
"We need to remember that being within a 45-minute drive of international attractions, such as Rotorua or Hobbiton, makes us the second-most visited port by cruise lines," she said.
Before Leisure Park, Marineland opened in 1967 and had more than a million visitors in its 15 years of running.
It was home to many marine mammals as well as chimpanzees, llamas, wallabies and ferrets.
It closed in 1978 due to funding issues and the passing of the 1978 Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Marineland owner Peter Sorrenson was then given permission to build a water park by the Mount Maunganui Borough Council in 1981.
He opened Leisure Park, which ran for nine years from 1981 until 1990.
After it closed, the pools were filled in, trees were planted and the land was restored to its natural state.
Today, an area of flat grass marks the spot where Marineland and Leisure Park used to be.