Swimmers dipping toes back on golden pond

Swimmers testing the water quality at Pandora Pond as Napier's temperature soars over 30C.

The green light for swimming in popular Napier summer spot Pandora Pond is back on.

The news appeared to have been met with only a tentative response by late yesterday, despite temperatures soaring past 30C.

With bacterial risk to health now listed as "low", there had been small numbers in the water on New Year's Day, and yesterday about 20 in the water after windy conditions had been a significant deterrent in the morning.

Land, Air, Water, Aotearoa — known as LAWA, formed by regional councils and now also backed by the Ministry for the Environment — issued the all-clear on Monday, although with a warning of the risks.

A new sign was today in place on the Pandora Rd frontage, warning people not to use the pond within three days following heavy or prolonged rain, to shower after swimming and to wash hands after using the pond, especially before eating, and to "not use the pond as a toilet".

The relaxation comes after more than a month with the pond all-but closed to users following a late-November alert issued by the Hawke's Bay District Health Board, saying increased levels of contaminants being found in the city and regional council samples of water from the lagoon showed there was an increased risk of illness among users.

Signs had been installed at the Humber Street Reserve at the time, and the alert led to the last-minute scrapping of IronMaori 2018's swimming leg on December 1, with some competitors already in the water preparing for the start.

Napier City Council communications and marketing manager Craig Ogborn said today that that while it was great for the pond to be cleared for swimming, the council has no immediate plans for its inflatable slides and platforms that became such an instant hit last summer.

There appeared to have been no notified illnesses relating to contamination of the pond, which has been sourced mainly from the industrial and rural uses in the catchment of the Ahuriri Estuary, of which the pond is a part.

Waka ama training continued at the pond, but coach and mentor Ian Matehe said all clubs were vigilant in washing themselves and their gear afterwards.

Club members and locals walking in the area had warned people about the conditions, and suggested other options such as Westshore Beach, and Sandy Beach, on Ahuriri's Hardinge Rd seafront.