The Parnell Baths are a historic swimming pool in Parnell,

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...

. The pools feature the largest saltwater swimming pool in New Zealand, originally filling with seawater from the

Waitematā Harbour Waitematā Harbour is the main access by sea to Auckland, New Zealand. For this reason it is often referred to as Auckland Harbour, despite the fact that it is one of two harbours adjoining the city. The harbour forms the northern and easter ...

. In the 1950s, the pool complex was redeveloped into the

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style popular in the

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, by Hungarian architect

Tibor Donner Tibor Donner (19 September 1907 – 11 March 1993) was Chief Architect for the Auckland City Council from 1947-1967. Personal life Tibor Karoly Donner was born in Szabadka, Austria-Hungary (now known as Subotica and part of Serbia), on 19 Septe ...

History

After major reclamation works along the

Auckland waterfront The Auckland waterfront (rarely the Auckland harbourfront) is a city-side stretch of the southern Waitematā Harbour coastline in Auckland, New Zealand. Previously mostly dominated by Ports of Auckland uses, from the 2000s on it is becoming i ...

, many of the beaches residents had traditionally used for bathing in the 19th century were no longer accessible. In 1912, a decision was made to create a saltwater pool complex at Parnell. Construction on the baths began in 1913, and the pools were opened on 7 March 1914. The poolswere originally only accessible by a narrow stairway down the cliff face from Point Resolution. The Parnell Baths were originally seawater, being filled when Judges Bay was at high tide. In 1923, a 1.5 metre springboard was added to the pools. In 1926, a children's pool was added to the complex, and in the following year, the bottom of the pool was concreted. Between 1926 and 1932,

Tamaki Drive Tamaki Drive is the coastal road which follows the contours of the Waitematā Harbour, Auckland, New Zealand. The road links the suburbs Ōrākei, Mission Bay, and Kohimarama ending in Saint Heliers providing easy access to the local beaches. ...

was constructed through

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, closing off the baths from the sea. During this period, pipes were installed to better fill the baths with seawater, however the sanitation plant at Ōkahu Bay caused the water quality to worsen. This improved in 1939, when water purification plants were installed. From 1944, the Auckland Council began a land reclamation project on Point Resolution, in order to construct an access road to the baths. In 1954, the pools were renovated in a

style by Hungarian architect

, featuring a two-storey building to replace the changing sheds, and a mosaic by New Zealand artist James Turkington. Between 2002 and 2003, the pools were upgraded after falling attendance in the 1990s, becoming a modern-style fitness centre. For the facility's centenary in 2014, the book ''Parnell Baths: a Jewel in Auckland's Crown'' was commissioned by Parnell Heritage and the

Waitematā Local Board The Waitematā Local Board is one of the 21 local boards of the Auckland Council, and is one of the three boards overseen by the council's Waitematā and Gulf Ward councillor. The Waitematā board, named after the Waitematā Harbour which f ...

, detailing the site's social history. After the effects of the

2023 Auckland Anniversary Weekend floods Beginning on Friday, 27 January 2023, regions across the upper North Island of New Zealand experienced widespread catastrophic floods caused by heavy rainfall, with Auckland being the most significantly affected as the Auckland Anniversary holi ...

, the pools were closed due to cliff instability.

References

{{Parnell, New Zealand 1910s architecture in New Zealand 1914 establishments in New Zealand Buildings and structures completed in 1914 Buildings and structures in Auckland Lidos Parnell, New Zealand Swimming venues in New Zealand