i have a sore left arm from doing one armed handstands in thorndon pool this evening. i have to do one armed handstands because i always snort in water if i don't hold my nose. i'm like a child.


the thorndon pool is awesome because it sound system consists of a ghetto blaster sitting on the stairs. and it has a spa pool. and it is where my friends revealed their true colours and threw me, fully clothed, into the water in 03 (FYI i'm not over it).

this is the only photo of thorndon pool that i considered worthy of my blog. it is the opposite of awesome but it will have to do.



other pools i love in the wellington region - in order of love

• wainuiomata (olympic pool with water slide and site of many family gatherings. what is not to love? - also, notably, this ranks higher than the thorndon pool as it meets my twin criteria: outdoors (check) and water slide (check)).
• h2o xtream waterslide check times three, but indoors. slightly makes up for it with a wave pool and inflatables though. probably ties with thorndon.
• huia pool - i was enchanted by the mozaic outdoor paddling pool when i was very young. plus they used to have hexagonal trampolines - height of eighties cool. these days they have a flying fox and if i were still eight i would rock that flying fox like nobody else.
• kilbirnie - good for aqua jogging, watching hot divers and laughing at deep water aerobics instructors who are really in to it. i had hot chips there after a swim the other day - i would NOT recommend.
• j'ville - the memories! the diving pool was my archilles heel throughout years 7 to 9. but it was at j'ville that i learned that bbq was short for barbeque, and when me and my brother played games and took on special characters, he would be mister johnson from johnsonville swimming pool. he was actually the cutest three year old ever.
• naenae - one time i went there with school and knew one of the life guards and when i talked to him some bitch girls were jealous. sure, he was my cousin, but still. props to that pool for the memories.
• tawa - when i used to get packed on the train for summer holidays in linden, it meant swimming at tawa pool, followed by a turn in the skating rink on my cousins inline skates. i'm even worse at skating than i am at swimming. my cousin was excellent at both. bitch.
• freyberg - would do better but for the fact that every time i go i have to join some swim chain (which is an issue because i'm more in to floating and handstands rather than actually swimming). if i ever got the pool to myself it would rank higher.

i have not been to every pool in the region. so porirua - for example - is clearly missing. plus the numerous school pools are not counted. my high school, for example, had a great pool - except at 13 i didn't realise my inability in the water, entered the school swimming sports and came approximately last. so i am a bit wounded from the experience. but i thought you could all benefit from my almost tireless research. enjoy.