Wai o Rua shutdown in January for scheduled pool liner upkeep

Wai o Rua - Stratford Aquatic Centre will be closed from 10 to 25 January so we can carry out scheduled maintenance.

It’s time to check the health of our pool lining, and this means emptying the pools, checking for any necessary repairs, cleaning, re-filling, and then testing to ensure the water is ready for normal splashy programming!

This is a big job and requires a 2-week shutdown to get through each step in the process.

While we’re closed to the public, our team will also be working on other maintenance jobs, as well as deep cleaning, training and planning for the 2026 year.

There will be no public access into Wai o Rua during the closure, but you can still get in touch with us. We’ll be available to chat on the phone and respond to emails between 9am and 3pm, Monday to Friday over the closure period.

You might be wondering why we’re doing this in the summer holidays. Good question! January is the best time to do this work because ground water levels are lower, which means there is less risk of external damage to the pool liners when emptying the pools.

January is also historically our least busy month as well, with families away enjoying the school holiday break, or making use of the free outdoor pools available in the region (or at the nearest beach!).

We want to cause as little disruption as possible to our normal pool programme, and doing this in January means we don’t impact our busy school term visits and the Wai o Rua Swim School classes.

While we wish we didn’t need to close, it’s important for us to carry out this maintenance to ensure our facility continues to be fit for you and your whānau to enjoy for years to come.

We appreciate your patience and understanding while this is underway. If you have any questions, please contact us on 06 765 6275 or email WaiORua@Stratford.govt.nz.