The pool
A heated 25-metre saltwater pool perched above the surf at St Clair Beach on New Zealand's wild south coast.
The St Clair Hot Salt Water Pool has been Dunedin's place of summer congregation since 1884 — a heated 25-metre lap pool on the headland at the western end of St Clair Beach, with the long surf line of the Pacific directly below. The current building dates from a 1960s rebuild but the spirit is unchanged.
The water is filtered seawater, kept at a steady 28 degrees against the famously chilly southern climate. Swim a few laps and watch the surfers below; on a stormy day the spray reaches the deck.
