Mount Maunganui locals are calling for the “unique, essential” Mount Hot Pools to open earlier because the current time is causing “disharmony” among users.

Julie and Jim Carle started a petition asking for the pools, which have sat at the base of Mauao for nearly 60 years, to return to the 6am opening time used before the Covid-19 pandemic, instead of the current 7am.

The pair presented their petition with 127 signatures at a Tauranga City Council community, transparency and engagement committee meeting on Tuesday.

Julie Carle told the meeting: “The Mount Hot Pools is a unique, essential rehab and health and wellness public facility.

“We believe that the Mount Hot Pools are not meeting our community needs.

“It’s excluding the working people that used to go at 6am before work, they can no longer go with the traffic.”

There was a queue of 10-12 people outside every morning before 7am waiting for the pools to open, she said.

Julie and Jim Carle presented their petition to the Tauranga City Council community, transparency and engagement committee on Tuesday. Photo: David Hall / SunLive

The later opening time also caused “disharmony” between the walkers, swimmers and aqua class members, Julie said.

Only two swimming lanes were available once classes started.

Before, swimmers and aqua walkers had an hour and a half before aqua classes started, she said.

With the 7am opening, it was only 30 minutes, until the class was pushed back to 7.45am following complaints, Julie said.

She compared the opening times of 40 other pools around the country and the majority opened at 5.30am or 6am.

The Tauranga City Council’s four other aquatic facilities open at 6am.

Julie’s husband, Jim, said he had four serious joint surgeries and his surgeon recommended swimming at the Mount pools to help his knee, vertebrae and shoulder recover.

The Mount Hot Pools at the base of Mauao are open from 7am to 10pm. Photo: David Hall / SunLive

Although retired, Jim still maintained the family business and a dairy farm as well as voluntary and committee work, so he needed to swim earlier in the day.

“Originally, I was able to go there at six o’clock in the morning and I could have access to the pool without congestion.”

Finding space in the pool while aqua classes were on made exercising difficult, Jim said.

“You could say ‘well, go to another pool’, but those are the very uniquely different hot pools, where they have particular health benefits.”

The Mount pools use heated salt water.

There was a demand for the earlier opening time and it would encourage more people to use the pools, Jim said.

The pools are managed by Bay Venues, a council-controlled organisation that runs Tauranga’s leisure facilities.

Tauranga councillor Steve Morris said people lining up to get into the pools was a good problem to have. Photo: Alisha Evans / SunLive

Councillor Steve Morris said: “Far be it for me to offer commercial direction to Bay Venues.

“But, what a good problem to have, folks lined up in the morning to frequent your business.”

The committee requested staff prepare a report about the petition to consider extending the opening hours of the pools.

Bay Venues operations general manager Tina Harris-Ririnui said the hours were adjusted during the Covid pandemic.

The 7am start was kept after daily visitation numbers were reviewed and showed an average of 12 people entering the pools before 7am before Covid, Harris-Ririnui told Local Democracy Reporting.

“We want the Mount Hot Pools to be as accessible as possible to our residents and visitors and that’s why it opens earlier than most equivalent hot pool facilities around the country.”

They are open from 7am to 10pm except on Sundays and public holidays, which are 8am to 10pm.

To ensure the “beloved facility” remained economically sustainable and high quality, Bay Venues needed to balance the level of availability with operating costs and the work required before and after opening hours, she said.

“The Mount Hot Pools does provide some aqua exercise options in the morning and throughout the day, and these are very popular with our regulars, it is primarily a premium hot pools leisure facility and the opening hours reflect that.

“The Mount Hot Pools is clearly a community favourite and has been for decades.”

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.