Whakatāne tidal pool described as muck trap

Tauhuroa Takuta (left) and Oviea Hunia. Photo / Katee Shanks

Whakatāne's tidal pool for children has been described as a natural settling pond for river muck by retired microbiologist Sandy Milne.

The tidal pool was opened late in 2017 as part of an upgrade of facilities at Wairaka Centennial Park but has attracted both compliments and criticism from the community for its design, including steep concrete steps, and condition.

Milne has been vocal in his concerns about the safety of the pool and believes there is no need for planned consultation with key stakeholders as part of Whakatāne District Council's plans to redevelop the pool.

"They need to fill it in or demolish it," Milne said.

"There's too much wrong with it for it to become right."

The Whakatāne Heads tidal pool. Photo / Sandy Milne

According to Milne, tidal pools built on the shore facing toward the sea worked - but ones built on the banks of a river did not.

"If there is a westerly wind anything floating down the river, including logs and cow ****, it is pushed into the pool and it tends to stay there for a long time.

"I've also seen fisherman fillet their fish on the opposite side of the river and throw the heads and frames back into the water which, given the right current/wind direction, can see them end up in the pool also."

Milne said he had taken photos of fish heads, crab legs, logs and sharp objects in the pool.

"At the end of the day, it's simply in the wrong place and any redevelopment isn't going to change that."

Whakatāne District Council community services manager Mike Naude said talks about modifying the pool would be held with the community during summer.

"A satisfaction survey of park users carried out by the council in February and early-March this year indicated that more than half of users, 56 per cent, were not happy with the tidal pool, with comments citing concerns about access safety and water quality," Naude said.

"This contrasted with satisfaction with the playground facility as a whole which was very high, particularly amongst regular users."

The main concerns raised were about the gradient of the access steps, the perception of the quality of the water in the pool, and the maintenance requirements to manage the build-up of debris, particularly following a lot of rain.

In response to concerns about water quality in the pool, Naude said the pool was part of the Whakatāne River environment and the microbial water quality in it reflected the microbial water quality of the Whakatāne River.

"Monitoring has found that the microbial water quality in both the pool and the Whakatāne River are suitable for contact recreation but caution is advised after heavy rain or flood events.

"We need to stress that the pool is, and was always intended to be, part of the river environment. If the river is discoloured and carrying debris, the same conditions will apply to the tidal pool.

"Toi Te Ora Public Health recommends that people should avoid swimming in any river for at least two days after a flood and the same recommendation should also be applied to the tidal pool – there is signage at the pool to reflect this."

Naude said suggestions to remediate the pool would determine how long it took to complete the work.

"Simple fixes or enhancements may be able to be done quite quickly. More complicated work is likely to take longer. It's expected that any building works would be completed after the busy summer period and in time for the next swimming season."

Whakatāne resident Kirsty O'Neill took a photo of the tidal pool in the days before Christmas last year. At the time she said parents were steering their children away from the pool.

"The tidal pool is such a disappointment in an otherwise beautiful area," O'Neill said.

Tuahuroa Takuta from Hawke's Bay was visiting Whakatāne recently and said the tidal pool was "gross".

"The last time I was here my baby kept trying to get into the pool," Takuta said.

"There's all these other cool things to do including clean water in the playground fountains. It's hard trying to keep kids out of there but you don't really want them going in there either."