A large sinkhole has opened up on College Hill Road in central Auckland, around the corner from the Auckland Police Station. Photo: Stuff / Chris McKeen
Auckland Transport has closed a section of a busy central Auckland road following reports of a rapidly growing sinkhole - metres away from where the harbour's high watermark was in 1840.
A Stuff reporter at the scene on College Hill Road said the hole looked to be about 1.6 metres deep, 3.5m long and 2.5m wide, with a hole tunnelling under the road for about 1.5m.
Just next to the hole is a covered-up hole that was formed during the Auckland Anniversary weekend flooding in January, which locals say has never been repaired.
While there are cones around the hole, there are no staff or workers onsite.
Fortis Travel managing director Blair Huston, who works nearby, said the situation was "bloody dangerous", with busy traffic forced onto one lane for more than five months.
He said police come out of the nearby police station at high speed, making the intersection even more dangerous.
"I go past there three or four times a day and since then I have never seen a workman on it ever," Huston said.
A police spokesperson said operations were resuming as normal and directed Stuff's questions to Auckland Transport.
An Auckland Transport travel alert issued just before 6pm said a section of College Hill was closed between New Street and Scotland Street due to "emergency maintenance works".
In a statement, Auckland Transport spokesperson Natalie Polley said College Hill Rd had been closed by police between Scotland Street and Wood Street.
Contractors were on their way, and there was a detour in place via local roads. Three bus routes have been affected, she said.
"We can update once the contractors have started work," she said.
"Pass with care and expect delays for all traffic, including bus services, through this area until cleared."
Auckland Transport responded after a Twitter user shared video and photos of the sinkhole, tagging the council agency to alert them at about 3.30pm on Monday.
In the video, a piece of the road can be seen collapsing into the sinkhole. A photo posted barely five minutes later shows the hole about doubled in size.
Brad Harpur, business manager for accounting firm Lock & Partners, located near the sinkhole said it started forming last week.
In 1840, the bottom of what is now College Hill was the shoreline. Since then, more than a kilometre of land to the north has been reclaimed from the sea, including all of Victoria Park as well as Silo Park.
* This story was originally published by Stuff