The reline,
and what it changes.
A full fibreglass reline, new pipework and skimmers, and better filtration. Here's exactly what's being done, why we chose it, and what it costs.
What we're doing
The 1955 shell has done seventy summers, and in the last few it started letting go. We were losing thousands of litres a day into the ground no matter what we patched. Rather than spend another season chasing cracks, the committee worked with the Waimakariri District Council and leak specialists on a permanent repair.
The old concrete stays where it is. Over the top of it goes a full fibreglass reline, one continuous sealed surface. While the pool is empty we're also replacing the pipework and skimmers and upgrading the filtration, because doing that work later would mean draining the pool all over again.
Full fibreglass reline
A new sealed surface over the whole shell, smooth underfoot and built for decades.
The leak, finished
Sealing the lot in one go ends the daily water loss, and the cost of forever topping it up.
New pipework and skimmers
Replaced while the pool is empty, so the plant matches the age of the new surface.
Upgraded filtration
Clearer water, easier maintenance, and less of a volunteer's summer spent nursing an old system.
Warmth that stays put
A sealed shell holds its heat far better. With the solar heating we added in 2022, the water stays steadier through the whole season.
Why a reline, and not another patch
This wasn't the first fix we tried. It's the first one that solves the problem instead of postponing it.
Epoxy injection, resin coating, fibreglass patches
Each one held for a while. None of them held for good, because a 70-year-old shell doesn't leak in just one place.
Leak detection surveys
Professional surveys found the source and confirmed what we suspected: the fix had to be the whole surface, not another repair to part of it.
Working bees
Volunteers have kept the grounds and the plant in good order for years, but a structural leak was never going to be fixed by hand.
A full reline, which is what's happening now
One sealed surface, new pipework and skimmers, upgraded filtration. Booked in for October.
What it costs
The whole job is budgeted at $108,000. This community has already raised $92,388 of it, through grants, donations, raffles, quiz nights and several hundred tea towels.
The job: approximately $108,000 for the fibreglass reline, pipework and skimmer replacement, and filtration upgrade.
Raised so far: $92,388, held by the committee and ready to go.
Still to raise: $15,612, which is what season keys, sponsorship and this summer's fundraising are for.
Contingency: the budget carries room for whatever the contractors find once the old surface is off.
Every dollar accounted for
We publish grants, spending and progress as the work goes on. See the updates page.
What summer 2026/27 looks like
Work starts in October and we're aiming to open Show Weekend in November. Then the pool opens and the community gets its pool back.
Water that stays in
No daily top-ups, no watching the level drop. Just a pool that behaves like a pool.
Warmer for longer
A sealed shell plus solar heating means a season that starts earlier and stays comfortable.
Clean, clear water
New filtration and a smooth surface that doesn't hold onto grime the way old concrete does.
Swimming lessons back on
Cust kids learning to swim in their own village again, the way they have since 1955.