Critic not satisfied with Mount Hot Pools upgrade

The therapeutic experience of the Mount Hot Pools' passive pool is to be partially restored following complaints that the row of water jets squirting on bathers had lost their oomph.

A regular user of the pools, Kevin Akroyd, has given Tauranga City Council a score of seven out of 10 for the recent upgrade to the pools' pipes and machinery room.

Mr Akroyd, whose campaign earlier this year to highlight cool water temperatures forced the council into fixing the problem, has emerged barely satisfied with the changes.

He said the water jets were hopeless and a tide line of scum had appeared around the passive pool where previously he had not noticed it. He blamed this on cleaners "not getting stuck in like they used to".

Mr Akroyd compared the changes to buying an icecream but only getting the cone. The four water jets were now more like a fountain and offered nowhere near the benefits on muscles of the old higher pressure jets.

Tauranga City Aquatics chief executive Tania Delahunty responded that the wider spouts delivered water at a lower pressure. "Some of the locals don't like it, so we will amend two of them."

Narrower spouts will be installed as part of the facelift to be carried out once the busy summer holidays period had passed.

Ms Delahunty said not everyone liked the old higher pressure nozzles because it felt like they were being bombarded. Their design had been based on the nozzles at Hanmer Springs.

As for the tide mark, she said Mr Akroyd arrived for his swim before the passive pool was cleaned at 8am. Although the water was constantly being filtered, the body's pores opened more in hot water, so nothing had changed in that respect.

She defended the cleaning regime, saying the tide mark was removed daily. It was no different to a bath at home having a ring.

Mr Akroyd said temperatures in the passive pool were good but he felt the main swimming pool was on the warm side. Temperatures in the spa pool reached a very hot 41C a week ago and 34C in the main pool.

He said pool management also needed to adjust the flow of water entering the pool because it was overlapping the top and even flowing onto the concrete concourse, making it slippery.

"It has been going on for a couple of weeks at least."

Mr Akroyd said it had also taken a while to get the salt water flowing through to replace the town supply in the pools.

Ms Delahunty said it was all about tweaking the pools to find the right balance.