Last updated 12:17, June 8 2018
Renee Clayton
Ingrid and Dell have been running their business for 15 successful years.
Ingrid and Dell have been running their business for 15 successful years.
A friendship between two girls created a special bond between their mums who become best friends and, eventually, successful business partners.
Ingrid Carter and Dell Thrasyvoulou moved to Mangawhai, north of Auckland, 18 years ago and sent their daughters - Natasha and Aana - to Mangawhai Kindy where they became best friends.
Their friendship sparked the desire for Thrasyvoulou to help Carter with some planting at her home as she was a flower wholesaler and florist.
"I decided to help her plant some flowers and our friendship grew even more from there.
"After planting Ingrid brought over sunflowers to say thank you and we got chatting about our interests and found out we both were swimming instructors in the past," Thrasyvoulou said.
Ingrid and Dell became best friends.
The idea of starting their own swim school came about and, within two months, they opened Learn To Swim.
Fifteen years later the pair are still going strong, now teaching a second generation of swimmers.
"I had been training for a triathlon in a heated pool in Te Hana and suggested that may be a good venue.
"We got the go ahead from the owners to start teaching and have been going now for 15 years," Carter said.
Carter said a lot has changed in the 15 years including the owners of the pool.
"We have new owners of the pool, the Pacey and Woolley family, and they were very agreeable to us to continue to lease their pool.
"They built changing rooms and a car park and took out the old spa pool to give us an office desk. They turned this quiet little pool into a fabulous facility for us to use," she said.
Both Thrasyvoulou and Carter said they love teaching twice a week.
"It is such a fun and rewarding career and we are definitely lucky to teach in a caring and wonderful community that surrounds us," Carter said.
"I love knowing we are making a difference in the child's life and helping them with their swimming and confidence," Thrasyvoulou said.
At the moment they have a couple of hundred students and also help teach at schools.
"We love what we do and so do our kids, they are still friends and even teach swimming themselves now," Thrasyvoulou said.
Visit learntoswimnorthland.co.nz for more.