In the swim: Auckland's salt water baths
One of the first fenced swimming baths in Auckland was around an area of shoreline at Smales Point. In the 1860s men paid a small fee to swim there – naked, as was customary at the time. Women were not allowed to use the Smales Point pool but were able to swim for a few hours a day at the Britomart Baths, during which time men were excluded. Ref: James D Richardson, Auckland harbour, 1864, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 4-526.