Bob Cooke looks after the Motueka Saltwater baths at the top of the South Island.

The heart and soul of a community in summer-time can be found at the local pool, writes Paula Hulbert, who talks to local stalwarts who've rescued their own from closure

The heritage swimming pool

Cap firmly in place, Bob Cooke squints in the summer sun, nodding his head slightly in satisfaction as he slowly treads the old wooden boards, lined in a well-trodden path alongside the pool. The tang of salt sits on his tongue. For 25 years, Cooke has helped care for Motueka's historic tidal swimming pool.

For the 88-year-old volunteer, it's been a labour of love.

"It's a very special pool. I don't think there's another one like it in the whole of New Zealand or even Australasia for that matter."

Work on the Tasman District-based baths was completed in 1938 and the passing of years has seen little change. Generations of people have stepped off the pool's stone curved steps into the water's cool embrace. Cooke, however, prefers to watch from the shore.

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"I quite like it, but I'm not much of a swimmer," he says.

It is said to be sharks that sparked the idea of the beach-based pool as campers taking refuge in the shade of nearby trees needed somewhere safe to swim. Cooke has heard the tale but remains unconvinced.

BRADEN FASTIER The historic Motueka pools are cared for by volunteer Bob Cooke.

"That's the story all right, it's what the records say was behind it all, but I have never seen a shark in these waters."

Listed with Heritage New Zealand, the popular pool was once the only swimming pool in the town. Students from the high school used to bike down for their swimming sports day, as spectators cheered from the sun blanched boards.

By 1991 its days of glory seemed far behind it and Tasman District Council put forward plans to demolish the seaside icon. Cooke, who has lived in Motueka since 1951, stepped up, alongside a few other like-minded community stalwarts, to help safeguard the pool's use for future generations.

"We didn't think it was a good idea [to close it] so called a meeting and began a project to raise funds and start reconstruction. It took us two years but we did it."

Alongside Nigel Duff and Bruce Gribbens, Cooke has volunteered his time to ensure the pool is clean and up to today's safety standards. The pool collects a lot of silt and every 10 days or so throughout summer, the trio can be found, squeegees in hand, meticulously cleaning it.

A simple manually-operated floodgate is lifted to drain the water and the area's high tides are enough for it to fill it. It takes 40 minutes to empty and when big tides come up, they fill the pool. On a 10 day cycle in summer, the pool is cleaned, depending on the height of the tides.

"It's a hell of a lot of water," Cooke says.

Cooke says the pool gives the community a focal point and a sense of continuity but he worries who will help when can no longer manage.

"We're all getting older now and not too many young people have been putting their hands up to help. It would be good to get a few more folk involved and make sure the pool is here for years to come."

BRADEN FASTIER The Motueka Saltwater baths have been part of the community since 1938.

Worry over funding won't stop smiles

Damp towels cling to wet legs and skin is tinged blue, but the chattering of teeth does not stop the smiles. It is summer, 1941, and the Blenheim School pool has been open for almost a year, delighting pupils as they splash in its chilly 10 degree waters. Wet woollen togs drip steadily, splattering water on the ground before quickly evaporating.

Fast forward 70 years and the scene has not changed much. The togs are made of nylon, many with built in sun protection, and the water is warmer thanks to the installation of solar heating, but the children still shiver and towels still get soaked.

Built in 1940, at a cost of £250, the pool is one of the largest and oldest in Marlborough. For Blenheim School principal Denyse Healy, the pool is more than just a way for pupils to have fun.

"It's really important to us. There are lots of families who can't afford swimming lessons and even getting to the town pool can be an issue as most don't have a car. Our pool plays an intricate part of the water safety programme."

For years it was the job of then school caretaker Harry Patchett to drain the pool on a Friday, clean it on a Saturday and refill it on Sunday. There was no filtration system and by Friday the water was said to be so thick and murky you could "stand a crow bar up in it".

Sadly, Healy says, the pool can only be used for six weeks of the summer term as maintenance costs and regulations make it too expensive to keep open.

SCOTT HAMMOND/STUFF The swimming pool at Blenheim School cannot be filled until the start of next tern to help keep costs down says principal Denise Healy.

"The children love the pool and last summer we kept it open for 30 minutes after school so families could come along too and enjoy it.

"It has cracks and it leaks but it's very therapeutic for the children and is a calming influence. It would be lovely to keep it operational and even extend the hours it's open but we need to replace the pump and fix the general wear and tear."

The worry over funding is for the staff, though, and even that can't stop the smiles as they watch the children enjoy the pool - so big it can hold all 97 pupils at once.

It's had a lot of people work to keep the pool going. Local Diane Purdie walked in off the street one day to help fundraise, and the Pelorus Trust gave $15,000 towards heating. The Spring Creek Lions painted the whole pool, so did some parents.

"People want to help and that's made a real difference to us," Healy says.

TOM LEE/STUFF Tauwhare School pool gives children such as Jack Brown, 6, a chance to play with his friends out of school.

Every NZ child should know how to swim

A clique of parents sit and chatter, gazes darting over to the pool where children are happily splashing. Hands shade faces while mothers and fathers scan for their children. Reassured, conversations pick up where they left off.

Nestled at the foot of the Scotsman Valley, near Hamilton, the Tauwhare School pool is so much more to the residents in the small rural township of about 500 than simply a place to swim. It's a place for the community, somewhere to gather and exchange news, catch up with friends and arrange play dates.

It took 10 years of fundraising to see the dream finally come to fruition, Tauwhare School principal Fiona Bradley says.

"It plays a huge role. Because the school is at the centre of our community it became a meeting place and is well, well used. Swimming is just as an important part of the curriculum as maths or english. The children know if they don't bring their togs to school then they need a note to say why.

"We swim everyday. We truly believe that every New Zealand child should know how to swim. After all - we're surrounded by water."

The 20m long L-shaped pool has its own 'beach area' which slopes gently into the shallow water. Toddlers and younger children in floppy brimmed hats bask in the warmth like seals.

On long summer nights families sometimes bring a barbecue with them and have a picnic. Laughter and giggles fill the air and the alluring smell of smoke-tinged sausages entices hungry, wet children to eat. It is, says Bradley, an idyllic set up.

It also helps families connect and spend time together. Each summer around 100 keys go out to families, each of whom make a $65 donation for the privilege.

TOM LEE/STUFF Young swimmer Lucy Bourke, 5, likes spending time at Tauwhare School pool as she gets to play with her friends.

"These families bring their families so you can imagine how well used it [the pool] is. Families who used to have children at the school come along too but current families get first bite of the cherry."

The pool opens at 10am and closes around 8pm. Used by more serious lap swimmers early on, families come down afterwards. One such family, the Hortons, took over care of the pool for the last few years as a way to contribute to the school; a thank you for the part it has played in their childrens' lives.

"They do such an amazing job," Bradley says.

The pool replaced an earlier 10m version built in 1950. But aging pipes and a rising number of families moving into the area meant a new pool became a priority.

"There were 65 children when I first started 17 years ago and that number has trebled to 185. As the years went by other things would pop up, like part of the playground would need some work doing to it, so we'd stop pool fundraising for a while and then go back to it.

"It was worth the wait."

Over summer we'll be telling the stories of how communities come together, when businesses and government agencies pull out of town. Read part one here, about the small Waikato town that bought its own post office

TOM LEE/STUFF Tauwhare School principal Fiona Bradley watches as pupils make the most of the pool with daily lessons.