Water slides
February 18th, 2013 at 11:00 am by David FarrarWayne Thompson at NZ Herald reports:
Parents have been stopped from “tandem” riding with their young children down hydroslides at Auckland aquatic centres.
One bemused parent, Michael Pleciak, was told by Mt Albert Aquatic Centre lifeguards on Saturday that his daughter Eva, 6, could not use the slide because it was too dangerous for anyone under 8, even if they are sliding with an adult.
“It is ridiculous,” he said.
“Eva has been on that slide for a month.
“She had a nervous start and I was accompanying her down as all parents do and she got her courage up.
“She has gone down at least half a dozen times with her 8-year-old sister or me.
Bureaucratic rules defy common sense.
Pool manager Paul Kite said Eva missed her treat because of confusion between a no-tandem rule from Auckland Council health and safety and the aquatic industry standard of requiring children under 5 to be within arm’s reach at all times.
He said 5- to 8-year-olds were allowed on the slide providing their parents or caregiver were at the bottom of the slide supervising them.
“It means, unfortunately, that mums and dads cannot go down the slide with their kids between their legs. Under 5-year-olds won’t be allowed to go down on their own.
What nonsense.
The council said the rule was recommended by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.
However, a ministry spokesman could not confirm the reason.
Paging Steven Joyce, paging Steven Joyce. Please apply some boot somewhere.
Talking of hydroslides though, it does remind me of an unfortunate incident when I was 18 and we were using the water slide at Moana Pool. It is or was a totally enclosed slide.
There were half a dozen of us there and the game we developed is one of us would go down first, stop halfway and then turn around and stand up. Then the rest of would shoot down through their legs. We did this several times and all good fun.
But then on one of the times it was my turn to go first, something went wrong. Someone else got in front of my friends. I had stopped and was standing in the tunnel waiting for my friends to power down. I then heard a noise, sounding like crashing thunder. Then the tunnel got darker and darker as all the light from the top got blocked out. Then crashing around the corner came a huge Samoan woman who was literally taking up the entire tunnel. No way could I turn around and start sliding down in time. With just a few moments of terror I then got smashed into by said woman, and spent the next 30 seconds semi-conscious stuck under her hurtling down the slide as she (rightfully) yelled at me in Samoan. Finally we shot out the end and my friends pulled me out of the pool, in-between fits of laughter. I felt like I had lost a wrestling match with a steam roller.
So my only advice for water slide safety is never stop!
Tags: water slides
February 18th, 2013 at 11:17 am
I suspect letting her go down first may have been intentional by your ‘friends’
Vote:February 18th, 2013 at 11:20 am
To my shame I’ve never been on a hydroslide – when I was a child there were rumours about Black Power members sabotaging the Rotorua Hydroslides with embedded razor blades etc, and the thought of that was enough to put me off for life.
Notwithstanding all that; speaking as the parent of an 8yo who is really not a very confident swimmer at all, it seems sensible to me that there should be some sort of age restriction on these things. As a means of giving the lifeguards ammo to remove small weak kids who are struggling if nothing else. Let’s face it you are out of control and going fast when you exit these slides into the landing pool. It sucks for those on the cusp of the restriction who are affected.. but drowning sucks too.
Vote:February 18th, 2013 at 11:22 am
Encroaching and advancing stupidity appear unstoppable.
Vote:February 18th, 2013 at 11:31 am
This sort of politically-correct nonsense, dressed up as “Health and Safety” never existed when men predominated in the work-force.
But the almost complete dominance of women in the HR and “Health & Safety” industries has resulted in any sort of risk-taking behaviour, no matter how trivial, being legislated against.
In Queensland a school has recently banned children from walking upside down on their hands. If caught doing so they are given a detention.
The reason children grow up thinking they are bullet-proof is because they are wrapped in a cotton-wool of laws and regulations that ban them from learning for themselves how to manage their own risks, whilst having fun. A good fright is always better than any advice.
Vote:February 18th, 2013 at 11:32 am
Hey… as long as your head didn’t get wedged up her happy hole…
Years of therapy wouldn’t make a dent in that post-trauma… hahahahaha
We’re just seeing more and more of this health and safety crap all the time. Santa parade was the last one… couldn’t throw sweets into the crowd. How totally pathetic. And this is just the latest one.
We should have a KB pool (no pun) to see if we can pick the next awesome idea.
I’ll tell you what else is sliding…. this country… into mediocrity.
Vote:February 18th, 2013 at 11:39 am
Pool rules have gone crazy country wide.
No jumping, no diving , not allowed more than 2 meters from a young kid (outside the pool) just in case the kid decides to do a running jump. No diving boards at pools any more (at least , in my town). Cannot sit on the side of a pool and watch your kids swim, you have to be in there with them.
The deep end of the pool has some steps (which are closed off at the top). But, kids are not allowed to grab them for a rest. Would they rather the kid drown?
It is PATHETIC!!!! As long as the parents are watching the kids they can rescue them if there is any difficulty. That is all that is needed.
Vote:February 18th, 2013 at 12:05 pm
Gay Marriage hasn’t even come into law and the lowest level of government is already out their dismantleing ‘parenting’ further.
‘Governmenting’ YOUR children via rules and regulations is the current practice of the appeasing gaystapo supporters.
All the Parent 1′s or parent 2′s [who the fuck knows who and what they are] commenting here should get used to having ‘parenting’ re-defined further!
Niteclub NZ is the new Plunket!
Vote:February 18th, 2013 at 12:05 pm
At Lido in Palmy they won’t even let people start walking up the steps until the previous person has popped out and exited. Pathetic
Vote:February 18th, 2013 at 12:29 pm
What’s gay marriage got to do with waterslide rules? There’s something queer about that post and it isn’t the gay marriage issue.
Vote:February 18th, 2013 at 12:55 pm
“….What’s gay marriage got to do with waterslide rules? There’s something queer about that post and it isn’t the gay marriage issue….”
I’m just showing to what extent government will go to, to appease SOME members of the public. And in doing so it ‘dismantles’ further the role of parenting.
If you don’t think that gay marriage will bring in even more draconian practices like mothers and fathers being desrcibed as parent 1 and parent 2 – then you are living in la-la land!
Vote:February 18th, 2013 at 12:56 pm
” I had stopped and was standing in the tunnel waiting for my friends to power down. I then heard a noise, sounding like crashing thunder. Then the tunnel got darker and darker as all the light from the top got blocked out. Then crashing around the corner came a huge Samoan woman who was literally taking up the entire tunnel. No way could I turn around and start sliding down in time. With just a few moments of terror I then got smashed into by said woman, and spent the next 30 seconds semi-conscious stuck under her hurtling down the slide as she (rightfully) yelled at me in Samoan.”
What a spine chilling and terrifying story. Eat your heart out Edgar Allan Poe!
Vote:February 18th, 2013 at 1:58 pm
@DPF: Send in an OIA request for the evidence underlying Council’s decision here. It seems lunacy.
Vote:February 18th, 2013 at 2:07 pm
Sadly, this is what New Zealand has become. New Zealand has only just begun to see the results of having two parties that ignore personal responsibility. It is what it is now and you will never turn it back. Enjoy it. Sadly, people like DPF and his party faithful had their chance to change things, but failed. Sleep in the bed you made.
Vote:February 18th, 2013 at 5:43 pm
At least those kids will *have* two parents. Unlike the many poor unfortunate children with morons for mothers who only have one dysfunctional braindead parent.
Who the FUCK do you think you’re fooling? It’s called thread hi-jacking to push your dumbarse fucking anti-faggot marriage barrow. Fuck off!! There’s no nexus between your spouting babble and water slide safety rule changes. None. I expect to see you in as many threads as possible somehow ‘linking’ the topic back to your anti-gay marriage agenda. Pathetic propaganda.
I’ll tell you what’s really dismantled… brain neurons in your cranium.
That hasn’t happened yet- you’re predicting a future that as yet has not eventuated. And anyway… I don’t see a problem. Draconian? Ok… yeah whatever. I doubt very much legal descriptions and forms will start to say parent one and parent two. They often say things like ‘partner details’.
What I see most in your style is your hand-wringing terrified screaming bigotry… you absolutely fair reek to the sky of panty-wetting fear and disgust.
Vote:February 18th, 2013 at 6:27 pm
Sounds like a scene from ‘Norbitt’
Vote:February 19th, 2013 at 3:39 am
High time we had a dedicated Minister of Water Slides to protect the public from themselves.
Vote: