Matatiki Hornby Centre is a council-run pool and fitness centre at 25 Smarts Road in Hornby, part of the Christchurch City Council's recreation and sport network. It is a place for swimming, gym and fitness, and for families with young children.
The pool programme is wide. Aqua fitness classes include Aqua Deep, Aqua Fit and Aqua HIIT. Learn to swim lessons are offered for children, adults and school groups, and there is sensory-friendly swimming and recreation for people who need a calmer pool. Visitors mention the pools, the hydrotherapy pool and the spa pool, and the warm pools are also part of the offer.
Group fitness runs to Spin, Zumba, STRONG Nation and Pump. Studio classes include reformer Pilates, and the gym serves those who want to train on their own. Under 5s programmes run Tumbletimes, Bubbletimes, preschool gymnastics and sport.
Visitors who came to the pool with a child say the swimming lesson went well and the pools and changing rooms are clean. A pay-as-you-go shower and spa option is available for a small fee, which one visitor said was worth knowing about. Some visitors say the reception staff are not especially friendly, and others say the lifeguards seem serious. Those are the two points that come up most often.
The centre sits on Smarts Road in Hornby, in the south-west of the city.
Our pick in Hornby for a family swim with a lesson in the warm pool.