New Zealand / Police

Residents hear explosions - police, NZDF respond to phosphorus canisters on North Shore

22:45 pm on 5 November 2024

Photo: RNZ / Patrice Allen

An area on Auckland's North Shore has re-opened after a person found two canisters of phosphorus earlier this evening.

Police said they were called to a Beach Road property in the Murrays Bay area at about 5.30pm.

The road was cordoned off for safety while the cannisters were disposed of at the scene, with the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) explosive disposal team assisting.

According to the NZ Herald , residents reported hearing a loud explosion and seeing a cloud of white smoke as the NZDF controlled the explosion to angle over the beach and into the water.

"A huge boom [was] heard from the beach up to Rangitoto College at 7:20pm," one resident told the Herald.

Police said the cordon has now been fully lifted.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.