Party time at Scarborough Paddling Pool

Its already had a successful summer, but the Scarborough Paddling Pool will officially welcome families back with an opening ceremony and a pool party at 10.30am on Wednesday 4 February.

The Welcome Back Scarborough Paddling Pool event will feature a mihi whakatau, followed by the official opening of the pool by Hagley-Ferrymead Community Board Chair Sara Templeton and children from Pebbles Preschool, as well as water toys, kids entertainers, face-painting, cake and more.

Ms Templeton said the official re-opening of the Scarborough Paddling Pool was a key part of restoring a sense of continuity and healing to the community.

"There's been a paddling pool at Scarborough since the early 1960s and many of the parents bringing their children to the official opening remember going there when they were children," she says.

Sara Templeton paid tribute to the local people who put hundreds of hours into achieving the completion of the pool after the earthquakes.

"This began with the spade day with preschool children that kicked off the rebuild and it was one of the first projects to get sign-off from Council to be rebuilt.

"Everyone involved in the project including the contractors strove to get it completed in time for the summer and now children and parents are once again enjoying the pool," she says.

Scarborough Paddling Pool was the first of the Councils outdoor pool rebuild/repair projects to open this summer, and was shortly joined by Waltham Lido Pool. With the opening in February of the Norman Kirk Memorial Pool in Lyttelton, all five of Christchurchs outdoor pools will be back in action for the first time since before the Canterbury earthquakes.

"It is great to be able to formally re-open the Scarborough Paddling Pool," says Hagley-Ferrymead Councillor Yani Johanson. "It was a hugely missed destination that is now able to bring much fun and enjoyment to families, young people, and children across the local community and wider city. The water playground will be a fantastic facility with a modern design that combines the traditional paddling pool with new features that will provide an exciting and fun space for people to enjoy."

The pool was temporarily closed in January while finishing touches - three shade pavilions with seats, permanent fencing and landscaping - were added. Christchurch City Council decided to open the facility on 20 December 2014 before it was complete, allowing families to enjoy it over the Christmas break - which proved to be a popular move.

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Party time at Scarborough Paddling Pool