I have been a frequent user of the Mount Hot Pools since hot salt water was discovered at the base of the Mount and a public pool was built.
The greatest contribution the Tauranga City Council has made to these pools for many years has been proclaiming the car park as a tow away area.
There is no need to spend a lot of money on the pools. My suggestions to make the pools more consumer friendly are to have a better surface around the pools where clients can walk comfortably in bare feet. To provide ramps into the water for easier access for the disabled. To provide a portable hoist for the very disabled. This could be used for access to all the pools. Innovative local firms would certainly be able to produce the above without need for expensive out of town consultants.
If the council want to make the facility more appealing to tourists they should employ someone to clean up the rubbish outside the pools each morning. They could also report to the council when potholes appear in the car park. So much could be done to keep the pools user friendly for locals and the tourists without having a huge expense, which would undoubtedly hike the entrance fees.
Preserve the Mount Hot Pools as the intimate, unique spa it has become renowned for.
Betty Cole, Mount Maunganui.