Karanga Plaza Harbour Pool

Tucked into the Viaduct Basin at Karanga Plaza, this open-water harbour pool sits within a ring of pontoons that keep swimmers safely separated from boat traffic in the viaduct channel. The 33-metre lanes come with lane ropes and ladders, and a jumping platform with balustrades and a grab rail gives older kids and adults a proper reason to keep coming back.

Access is via the tidal steps and a marina gangway, which steepens considerably at low tide — worth knowing before arriving with anyone who finds steep gradients difficult. A pair of changing booths sits on the plaza, and accessible public toilets are 30 metres away. Lifeguards are present during the summer peak season.

Free to use and open every day from dawn to dusk, it draws lap swimmers, casual splashers, and anyone who has ever wanted to swim with a harbour view rather than a painted lane line beneath them.