Raetihi Swimming Pools is a semi-indoor, roughly 25-metre pool at 10 Parapara Rd in Raetihi, sharing an address with the Raetihi Holiday Park, though reviewers note the two are separate operations. It holds a 5.0 rating from three reviews and, swimmers say, runs each December to March, with children swimming for a dollar, adults two and seniors one.
A full-length 25-metre pool is a rare thing in a small rural town, long enough for proper laps rather than a quick dip. Swimming is famously kind to backs and joints, which suits stiff road-trippers and older swimmers alike. Semi-indoor pools shelter you from the plateau wind and fierce summer sun while keeping an open-air feel. Regulars at seasonal town pools know the rhythm: a short summer season and, midweek, a lane to yourself.
An unexpected find in the middle of the Ruapehu plateau, this is the pool that turns a Whanganui to Taupo drive into a story.