Caroline Bay Trust Aoraki Center Celebrates 10 Years

Hundreds have packed Timaru’s Caroline Bay Trust Aoraki Center to celebrate a decade in business.

The $23.5 million complex was opened on July 27, 2012 by then Prime Minister John Key and in his the first year there were about 277,000 gamblers, averaging about 770 people a day, through the door.

The festivities kicked off on Saturday with a free hydroslide and inflatable obstacle course taking over the main pool.

Upstairs at the gym, Caroline Bay Fitness’s longest-serving staff member, Lee King, hosted a jazz practice class at 10:30 a.m.

Leah Stringer, CBay’s water sports team leader, said 594 entered the pool on Saturday and 466 had attended by 2:30 p.m. on Sunday.

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She said that to date, 25,000 people have learned to swim in the center’s swimming school, 1,150 people have signed up for the gym, and in fiscal year 2020/21, the center had more than 270,000 visitors.

Stringer said visitor numbers are “lower than our pre-Covid attendance figures”.

As part of the celebrations, there will be daily fitness challenges at CBay Fitness, she said.

Stringer said many out-of-town visitors visited the center and said “how lucky we are in Timaru to have such a great facility”.

This sentiment was echoed by Anne McCully, who has applied to the center since it opened.

“We are so happy with this facility,” she said.

“It’s a fantastic facility, Timaru is really lucky to have all of this happening.

“There are all those different activities all on one site.”

McCully, who works six days a week, attends one Body Balance class a week and said it was the “best de-stresser.”

She said another highlight was the cafe, which “always” had a cheese scone and coffee.