AC Baths & Thermal Hot Pools (Indoor)

I'm visiting Taupo on a very out-of-season, wet mid-October day. Taupo itself is an interesting place — I can imagine that in high season, the massive lake, formed by a supervolcano, draws huge crowds for on-water adventure and geothermal dips. Out of season though, the place feels a bit subdued. Visiting on a not-so-fab day probably doesn't help, but I'm looping through to Rotorua (which I suspect steals some of Taupo's cultural limelight) and was keen to get a swim in some mineral-rich water.

Arrive at the pool, pay the very reasonable NZ$12.50 entrance fee, and head down a couple of flights of stairs, past what I think were doors to private hot thermal pools, past the sauna (which I'd planned to visit but forgot!), and past the café with a view of the outdoor pools out to the indoor pool deck. Again, very basic changing rooms, no lockers — perhaps I missed something, or maybe Kiwis are just very trusting with their belongings left in pool-side cubbies!

The pool deck is all concrete, with rows of step-lined benches along the far side that provide a surprisingly generous spectator capacity. The eight-lane pool is relatively quiet during my visit — not surpising as the main attraction is through the glass doors outside! There’s a school swim session in the far lane, while the lifeguards are using the near four lanes for a training session. Jump in the middle and make a start. I was expecting the water to be quite warm given its surroundings, but actually, it was just about right.

Planning a quick swim in the indoor pool before heading outside to finish up with a session in the outdoor pool — and hopefully a dip in the thermal pools. Forty lengths later, I’d hit the required kilometre, stopped the watch, and headed outside...