Summer has officially started which means it’s the season where people will be looking for every way they can to cool off! Swimming pools are all open and preparing for their busiest time of the year. There are some fantastic swimming pools all within an hour drive from the Franklin Community that are worth checking out with your family over this summer. 

Under the name of each pool we have added a key as a quick reference guide for what you need for your family. This includes things such as; slides, cafes, family change rooms, indoor, heated pool and picnic tables. 

Something noteworthy to mention! 

There is an awesome initiative in place by Auckland Council providing free swimming for children under 16 across their pools (except the Mount Albert Aquatic Centre). We have ticked this in the reference guide under each pool if it is part of the initiative! 

We would love to see you and your family practicing their swimming and having fun in the water this summer so please tag us in any photos you put on social media! You can find us on Instagram and Facebook

Here is our list of some awesome Auckland swimming pools you should check out with your family this summer!

Fulton Swim School

  • indoors
  • heated pools
  • swimming lessons for all ages
  • water wheelchair for swimmers with accessibility needs
  • state of the art water treatment system

First on the list of the best swimming pools in Auckland is of course our three Auckland locations for Fulton Swim School. With pools in Botany, Patumahoe and Puni, Fulton Swim School is a fantastic place to enrol your children to learn to swim. 

From 6 months of age through to adults we have a class to suit your needs. All of our teachers hold Swimming New Zealand accreditation as well as winning several NZSCTA awards for teaching. We take pride in our teachers and invest in their continued development as swimming education providers. Over the years our reputation as one of the best swimming schools around has grown along with our desire to offer the best service we can for our students.

All our pools are heated to a consistent 32 degrees, ensuring all swimmers, children and adults alike are always warm and comfortable. 

We also have a start of the art water treatment system which means that we don’t use any unnecessary nasty chemicals, we do however use the minimum required amount of chlorine as per government regulations. 

For more information about our swimming lessons please visit our website.

Parnell Baths

Parnell Baths
  • lane swimming
  • outdoors
  • spa
  • cafe
  • picnic tables
  • family change room
  • aqua playground
  • free swimming for children under 16 

Next up is the iconic Parnell Baths. Located in Parnell, they have a phenomenal 60 metre salt water lane pool, an adult and family spa pool, interactive aqua playground, toddlers pool and heated lido pool. They literally have pools for everyone and have an impressive 100 years of swimming history. 

This is a popular spot for swimmers in summer so we recommend arriving early. Parnell Baths allows you to bring packed lunches and if you’d like to bbq you can book these in advance with them. Their website has a list of facility guidelines for bringing your own food. 

One feature that makes Parnell Baths stand out as one of the best pools in Auckland is their interactive aqua playground. Located next to the salt water lane pool, the aqua playground is an awesome spot for your children to play and keep cool as well as a way for you to enjoy being in the water supervising them!

For more information visit the Parnell Baths website.

Manurewa Pool and Leisure Centre

Manurewa Pool and Leisure Centre
  • lane swimming
  • indoors
  • spa
  • heated pools
  • bbq and tables (for hire)
  • family change room
  • water wheelchair for swimmers with accessibility needs
  • free swimming for children under 16 

The Manurewa Pool and Leisure Centre located in South Auckland, a quick drive from Franklin, is an awesome spacious pool to go for a swim.

There are five heated pools at this centre;

  • 25m lane pool heated to 27°C with six lanes. The lane pool is accessible by hoist. 
  • Leisure pool with two lanes. This pool is heated to 31°C and is 25m long with depths ranging from 1m to 1.4m. The leisure pool is accessible by hoist. 
  • Learner’s pool heated to 32°C. This pool is accessible by ramp and is 15m long. 
  • Toddlers Splash Pool (heated to 32°C)
  • Spa - accessible by hoist and is heated to 39°C

The Manurewa Pool and Leisure Centre has plenty of space and variety for the whole family’s swimming needs this summer!

For more information visit the Manurewa Pool and Leisure Centre website.

Point Erin Pool, Herne Bay

Point Erin Pool
  • lane swimming
  • outdoors
  • spa
  • waterslide
  • family change room
  • playground
  • free swimming for children under 16 (main pool only)

The Point Erin Pool, located in Herne Bay is an awesome location for lots of family fun this summer. This pool is a historic facility with 50 years of families enjoying swimming, relaxing and diving into their range of pools. 

At Point Erin Pools you’ll find the main pool which is ideal for the competitive and leisure swimmer, while for those who just want to splash and relax - the family spa pool is perfect! Outside the pool the fun continues with their own playground and basketball court. 

The lane/leisure pool at Point Erin is 6 lanes and 33m long so plenty of room to lane swim or just relax! What has the Point Erin Pools standing out is their dive pool which has diving available into a 3m depth. You can also go for a slide into this pool for added fun! Lastly, their family spa is a warm 35°C.

For more information visit the Point Erin Pool website

Parakai Springs

Parakai Springs
  • indoor + outdoor
  • heated pools
  • spa
  • cafe
  • picnic tables
  • family change room
  • waterslides

Parakai Springs is a huge family favourite every summer and we love it for it’s huge variety of fun! Located west of Auckland in Parakai, this is a firm NZ favourite to visit. Parakai Springs has two awesome hydroslides, a huge heated open air pool with a gently sloping beach area for young children, a heated indoor pool, private spas and an exclusive adults only pool. 

What sets Parakai Springs apart from the others is their pools are naturally heated with thermal water drawn from deep beneath the pools. 

Aside from the pools, the grounds at Parakai Springs have plenty of space and eating facilities to suit everyone. You are able to eat at their cafe, bring your own packed lunch or hire one of the BBQs available. 

Parakai Springs covers everything you and your family need for an awesome day out. Even the waterslides cater for both the adrenaline junkie and those who want a gentler ride into the water. Children must be 8 years old and 1.25m tall to ride the slides alone and all others are welcome to go down with an adult. 

For more information visit the Parakai Springs website

Tepid Baths

Tebid Baths
  • lane swimming
  • indoors
  • spa
  • heated pools
  • cafe
  • family change room
  • water wheelchair for swimmers with accessibility needs
  • free swimming for children under 16 

The Tepid Baths is an iconic part of Auckland’s history. Built over 100 years ago, and refurbished in 2012, their centre has two pools, a spa, as well as steam and sauna facilities.

The Tepid Baths has two beautiful pools; the first being their main pool which is heated to 27°C, is 25m long and can have up to seven lanes available.  The second pool is their learners pool which is heated to 32°C, is 15m long, 4 lanes and has ramp access for swimmers with accessibility requirements. 

There’s also an onsite cafe making delicious coffee! 

For more information visit the Tepid Baths website.

West Wave Pool and Leisure Centre

West Wave Pool and Leisure Centre
  • lane swimming
  • indoors
  • spa
  • heated pools
  • cafe
  • family change room
  • wave pool and hydroslide
  • water wheelchair for swimmers with accessibility needs
  • free swimming for children under 16 

West Wave Pool and Leisure Centre is located in the heart of Henderson in West Auckland. They have something for everyone from a hydroslide, a wave pool, 50m lane pool, hydropool and sauna facilities. 

The wave pool at West Wave is a tonne of family fun and is heated to 32°C. Sitting right next to the wave pool is a hydroslide, lazy river and a toddlers pool. You and your family can have hours of fun at West Wave with everything located really accessible while you are swimming. The cafe, changing rooms and family pools are all right next to each other. 

The West Wave Pool and Leisure Centre is a hub of water sports, such as water polo and underwater hockey, competitive swimming, and diving. Their huge 50m pool has a lot of room for everyone but please check their timetable for availability if you are planning on swimming laps! 

For more information visit the West Wave Pool and Leisure Centre website.

Glenfield Pool and Leisure Centre

Glenfield Pool and Leisure Centre
  • lane swimming
  • indoors
  • spa
  • heated pools
  • cafe
  • family change room
  • wave pool 
  • water wheelchair for swimmers with accessibility needs
  • free swimming for children under 16 

The Glenfield Pool and Leisure Centre is another fantastic place to go swimming, located on Auckland’s North Shore. They have a 25m pool with eight lanes that is heated to 27°C, a learners pool which is 15m long and heated to 32°C, as well as spas, hydroslides, aquatic obstacle courses, and dive boards. 

It’s important to note their hydroslides and dive boards are only open on weekends!

For more information visit the Glenfield Pool and Leisure Centre website.

Massey Park Pool

Massey Park Pool
  • indoor + outdoor
  • heated pools
  • spa
  • family change room
  • wave pool
  • free swimming for children under 16 

Massey Park Pool, located in Papakura, is a super cool place to entertain your children this summer because of its wide variety of swimming pools! It’s also really close to Franklin. Massey Park Pool has a wave pool, indoor lane pool, a 50m outdoor lane pool, spa, steam and sauna facilities, and best of all a hydroslide. The hydroslide is tonnes of fun and not just for the kids. 

The wave pool has a gently sloping beach area for your little ones to splash around in while still being on their feet. 

For more information visit the Massey Park Pool website.

Moana-Nui-A-Kiwa Pool and Leisure Centre

Moana-Nui-A-Kiwa Pool and Leisure Centre
  • lane swimming
  • indoor + outdoor pools
  • spa
  • heated pools
  • family change room
  • hydroslide and bombing pool
  • free swimming for ALL AGES

Moana-Nui-A-Kiwi pool and leisure centre is a fantastic place to swim and it’s free for all ages to swim! It has some really awesome features that other centres don’t have such as five outdoor pools! One is 2.6m and includes an outdoor bombing pool. 

The pools at this centre include; a 25m indoor lane pool, indoor learners pool, toddler’s splash pool, spa pool, five outdoor pools, hydroslide, and outdoor splash pad. 

To keep you safe, there are rash tops for hire with sizes up to 9XL so everyone can stay safe in the sun and keep cool!

Located in Mangere, this centre is super close to Franklin and has so much available for your family to have fun. 

For more information visit the Moana-Nui-A-Kiwa website

Mount Albert Aquatic Centre

Mount Albert Aquatic Centre
  • lane swimming
  • indoors
  • spa
  • heated pools
  • cafe
  • family change room
  • wave pool and waterslide
  • water wheelchair for swimmers with accessibility needs

The last pool you should add to your list of places to go swimming is the Mount Albert Aquatic Centre. As with West Wave, this pool is also a hub of activity; from underwater hockey, waterpolo, swimming tournaments through to family fun in the wave pool. 

The Mount Albert Aquatic Centre features a 25m competition pool (also available for lane swimming), hydroslide, wave pool, toddlers pool and water play area, spa pools, saunas and steam rooms, as well as a swim shop and cafe. 

Aqua jogging lanes are also available at this pool during quieter periods so check their timetable if this is something you’re keen to try out! 

For more information visit the Mount Albert Aquatic Centre website.

An Important Safety Reminder!

Whether your family loves to relax or is looking for a day full of fun in the pool, Auckland swimming pools have everything for everyone! From lane swimming indoors to whizzing down a hydroslide to exploring aquatic playgrounds, there is so much fun to be had in the water this summer. 

We hope this article gives you plenty of ideas of where to take your children swimming on those super hot days over the holidays! 

At Fulton Swim School we have recently taught Water Safety Week through all our lessons where we taught your children everything from how to save their own lives, survival swimming strokes, how to call for help, recognise hazards in the water, life jacket safety and of course to never ever swim alone. 

We strongly encourage you to reiterate these messages to your children in the lead up to summer as they are likely to be around water a lot over the next few months! Going to big, interactive pools such as those listed can be so much fun and children often get caught up in the excitement before thinking about their safety. 

Before heading to one of these pools with your family we strongly encourage you to remind your children of what they’ve learned during water safety week and to ask them what they would do if they ever got into trouble in the water and also what they would do if they saw someone in trouble. 

Our five key points to keep ourselves safe in the water are; always be supervised, learn to swim, never swim alone, look for hazards, and learn first aid. 

We hope you have a wonderful time if you go to any of the Auckland swimming pools mentioned and we would love to see what you get up to over summer so please tag us in any of your fun photos! You can find us on Instagram and Facebook.