These salt water swimming baths opened in 1881 on Auckland's Customs Street West. They sat on the harbour's edge, and valves at the end of the pool allowed the tides to refresh the water. The baths were built partly because people were swimming publicly along the foreshore, and causing offence by their state of undress. Enclosed baths protected the public from such sights, and separate opening times for women and men allowed segregated bathing. Gradually more public swimming pools were built in Auckland. In 1914, after declining patronage, the Customs Street West baths closed.
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Auckland Council Libraries − Tāmaki Pātaka Kōrero o Tāmaki Makaurau, Sir George Grey Special Collections
Reference: 4-906
by James D. Richardson
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