Sport & recreation  |  29 May 2019

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Join Taiora QEII’s first birthday celebrations this weekend by jumping into a pool party or shimmying into a group Zumba class.

The Recreation and Sport Centre opened just before Queen’s Birthday weekend last year in a major milestone for eastern Christchurch’s post-earthquake recovery.

Taiora: QEII is celebrating its first birthday this weekend.

Taiora: QEII is celebrating its first birthday this weekend with a pool party and Zumba party.

It was built to replace some of the facilities lost when the earthquake-damaged QEII Centre was demolished.

The new $38.6 million complex opened its doors ahead of schedule and under budget and hundreds of people attended celebrations in its first weekend which included pool discos, live music and bouncy castles.

This Queen's Birthday weekend, to mark Taiora’s first anniversary, a Pool Party will be held on Friday from 7pm until 9pm with a DJ, games and giveaways.

On Saturday there will be a Zumba party in the group fitness studio starting at 5.30pm. Bookings are required at Taiora QEII reception because spaces are limited. Members are able to bring a friend for free.

Taiora QEII Recreation and Sport Centre has been busy in its first year of operation with 808,170 visitors to the facility (including pools, swimming lessons, group fitness classes and the fitness centre) between 1 June 2018 and 30 April this year. The pools alone attracted 542,208 people in the same time-frame.

Council Customer and Programmes Manager Jacquie Hibbs says the centre has had a fantastic first year and it’s a great time to celebrate.

“This complex really has brought a wealth of excellent facilities to the eastern side of the city and it’s been incredibly popular with families who bring their kids along to play in the leisure and toddler pools and have fun on the hydroslide.

“There was an initial peak where the centre was packed with people but that has settled down now to a steady number and we think that will continue into the future.”

Taiora QEII’s facilities include a 25 metre lap pool, a 130 metre hydroslide, a leisure pool with a lazy river channel and a hydrotherapy pool along with a fitness centre, group fitness studios, a café and meeting rooms.