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Thousands discover lost world
Atlantis at QEII, the largest indoor leisure pool in
Australasia, reflects the legend of the lost world of
Atlantis. The mask statue of Poseidon, the Greek
God of the Sea, watches over the complex. The facility’s central attraction is a 40m-wave
pool — the largest in New Zealand. The wave
pool’s floor gently slopes from a shallow beachlike
entry point to a depth of 1.5m.
Every half hour, for 10 minutes,
waves crash upon the beach. The
height of the waves is variable so
that if the swimmers are mainly
younger children the waves can be
gentle, while being increased in
size for older swimmers. The leisure pool’s other features
include a river, where a steady
current allows swimmers to ride
around the channel of water;
vortex pools, which are fastmoving
swirl pools; a bubble pool,
where swimmers sit back while water swirls
around them; spas, sauna and steam room, with a
designated spa for families and adults; a children’s
learn-to-swim pool and the By The Pool licensed
cafe. Alan Direen, the QEII complex manager, says the
leisure pool, “offers something for everyone, no
matter what their age”. Designed by Vic Davies from British Columbia
and Ross Maguire from Christchurch, Atlantis at
QEII takes visitors on a journey back thousands of
years to the lost continent of Atlantis, said to have
sunk into the sea. Some of the possible locations
suggested for this sinking, which purportedly
happened between 900 and 9000 years ago,
include the South China Sea and a location off the
coast of New Zealand. Mr Direen believes the true location is actually
near Pegasus Bay. The numerous Atlantis-themed murals which
provide a backdrop to the pools include a
weeping-mask statue. Other water features
include columns and pillars, a partially sunken
galleon and a waterfall. Turning the vision into reality
was the task of Christchurchbased
company Simtech, and
Mainzeal Construction. The opening of the leisure pool
completes the 2½-year, $20
million redevelopment of QEII’s
aquatic facilities. This has involved
the construction of a modern,
50m international-standard
swimming pool, new dive boards, a
children’s learn-to-swim pool and
the leisure pool. Christchurch City Council Leisure Manager
Alistair Graham says the transformation in
Christchurch from the traditional indoor lap pool
to a complete leisure and fitness destination is
now compete. “We expect that QEII’s patronage will increase
by half again following the opening of the new
leisure pool,” he says. “It’s come a long way since it was first built for
the Commonwealth Games in 1974. Twenty-eight
years on, it’s developed into a unique multi-sport
and leisure complex, catering for family recreation
through to elite sport and performance and
development. QE11 remains a premier athletic
and sporting icon for both Christchurch and New
Zealand.” The redevelopment of QE11 Park follows
upgrades of Centennial and Pioneer Leisure
Centres in 1999. |