There are ongoing issues from the geothermal steam bore that provides hot water to heat the Maurie Kjar Aquatic Centre. This is disappointing as the current steam bore was drilled in November 2021, with the funding support of Trust Horizon, which was greatly appreciated by Council and the community.

At a depth of 79 metres, the bore accesses naturally hot geothermal water at approximately 145 °C that flows under pressure (called artesian).

Problems with the heating in 2023 prompted a clean-out of the bore in September of that year. The aim was to remove silica buildup. Another major workover was completed in January 2026, which cleaned out calcite down to a depth of 60.5 metres.

Expert advice has been sought since issues began in 2023 from highly experienced geothermal contractors, expert operations staff at local geothermal power stations, and the Bay of Plenty Regional Council.

With the assistance of those experts it was found that the bore has not been performing reliably due to:

• Heavy calcite scaling inside the bore (which blocks the flow of the hot water)
• Possible cold water leaking into the bore casing (cooling the hot water and stopping natural flow)
• Insufficient depth (mapping of the geothermal field shows the hot zone starts deeper than the bore reaches, limiting reliable output)
• Weakness in the bore casing below the 60 metre depth (as shown in 2025 pressure tests)

One of the potential solutions to mitigate the build of the calcite and silica has been chemical treatments and high-pressure air treatments. In February, Council engaged contractors to install a chemical line which can also be used to inject air via a compressor into the bore.

The long-term solutions to restore heat to the pools at the optimum temperatures are still being investigated and costed. Council appreciates it is frustrating for pool users not to have temperatures in the pools and especially the spa pool, up to the usual heat.

Staff are working with external partners and contractors to provide various solutions for the heating of the pools and potential funding avenues with the aim of keeping costs to a minimum for the community.

Lastly, a reminder to be kind to our team at the Maurie Kjar Aquatic Centre. The issues with the geothermal bore are structural issues with the bore itself – they have not been caused by lack of maintenance or operational issues.

We will keep you posted, and thank you all for your support, as we work through this challenging situation with mother nature!