Karanga Plaza Harbour Pool

The Karanga Plaza Tidal Steps, in the Viaduct Basin, is a popular place for people to swim and jump into the water. As part of the Mayor’s vision to open up the waterfront, and an Eke Panuku water’s edge health and safety review, a number of improvements to the Karanga Plaza Tidal Steps have been designed.

These improvements include a free harbour pool and bespoke jump platform. This  created a multi-purpose swimming area, to encourage Aucklanders to safely connect with and enjoy the city centre waterfront for free.

The harbour pool  is enclosed by pontoons, to protect and contain swimmers and provide a visual and physical barrier for boats operating in the viaduct channel.

The facilities are free to use, and open during daylight hours only (dawn to dusk).

Supervision with Auckland Council lifeguards will occur over the peak season and standard operating hours of 10am – 6pm (with modified hours over public holidays).

SafeSwim monitor the water quality in the area and provide live updates on their website. A QR code link to the website is included on the signage for the pool.

Life rings and safety signage will be installed by the pool and on the pontoons and jump platform.  

The project

The Mayoral Proposal on Auckland Council's Draft Long-term Plan 2024-2034 includes provision to progress a waterfront swimming pool. Eke Panuku worked  with the Mayor’s office to investigate a potential lap swimming facility in the city centre harbour.

The lap swimming area will operate initially as a pilot project to allow real-time testing of the concept, location, structure and operational requirements. The results will inform the viability of providing a more permanent salt water lap pool in the waterfront over time.

Having considered the options, the best location for the pilot is at the Karanga Plaza Tidal Steps in the Viaduct Basin, which is already a popular location for swimming. This location is also on the Swim Safe Website and water quality is regularly monitored and tested.

Eke Panuku had been working through plans to improve the health and safety for swimmers at the Karanga Plaza Tidal Steps by adding a dedicated jumping platform, so expanding the area, while staying within budget, to enable lap swimming makes good sense.