Parakiore racks up 360,000 visits in first few months

Hundreds of thousands of people flocked to Christchurch's new Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre in the three months after it opened to the public.

Christchurch City Council head of recreation, sport and events Nigel Cox said the St Asaph St centre racked up more than 360,000 visits between its official opening on December 17 last year and March 17.

Cox said it was "a solid first three months" for New Zealand's largest indoor sport and recreation venue.

"Our target is 1.4 million visits for our first year of operation. We’re currently sitting about 3.3% above that goal."

He said 232,024 people visited the pools, 17,394 booked a group fitness class, and over 30,000 hydroslide sessions were sold.

"Parakiore has become part of people’s routines, especially those that live and work in the CBD.

"There are so many ways to get active under one roof, people are coming back time and again.

"3714 people have taken up memberships at Parakiore and 10,185 Swimsmart lessons have been held.

"The Aqua Sensory Experience has been a hit, with around 3000 sessions booked out so far."

Parakiore recently hosted the Tactix v Pulse pre-season netball game, the South Island Secondary School Water Polo tournament, the Ford Futsal SuperLeague Finals Weekend, and several school swimming sport contests.

"Events bring such a buzz to Parakiore. We’re excited to be able to offer top-class facilities to sport codes of all levels," said Cox.

The city council aims to host around 12 national or international events and 15-20 regional events each year at Parakiore.

The upcoming events include the Canterbury Rams’ first home game, the U16 Footlocker Basketball National Championships and New Zealand Short Course Swimming Championships.

"We’re well on the way to achieving our targets and there are even more exciting additions to come. Arma Reformer Pilates is about to launch, and MOVE is expanding their dance and artistic movement timetable as well," Cox said.

Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre's key stats (December 17, 2025 – March 17, 2026)

• There have been 232,024 pool visits, with the busiest day being 11 January when 4,574 people took a dip.
• 10,185 Swimsmart lessons have been taken so far.
• There have been 2,793 visits to the Sensory Aqua Centre.
• The hydroslides have been a huge drawcard, with 30,552 bookings.
• 2098 goggles and 430 pairs of togs have been sold at the shop.
• 2843 people have participated in Pay to Play sessions in the community courts, with basketball and pickleball being the most popular.
• 1019 people have bounced at inflatable sessions.
• 26,060 have dined at the Aquarius Café.
• 17,394 people have attended a group fitness class. Arma Strength and Pilates are amongst the most popular.
• 41,361 gym sessions have also been recorded since opening.