Some Auckland buses are being diverted because of the sinkhole. Photo: Duoya Lu
A major South Auckland road has been closed after a sinkhole was discovered in Ōtāhuhu.
Auckland Transport closed part of Princes Street between Great South Road and Atkinson Avenue, forcing the redirection of several bus routes and disrupting traffic along the busy street.
Detours have been put in place for bus routes 321, 323, 333X and 670 and Auckland Transport is warning passengers to expect delays.
"Watch out for this sink hole," one person wrote on Facebook. "Sooner or later it will get worse ... fix the thing before an accident happens."
Photos showed a small hole leading to a black abyss.
"My foot can fit in this hole," a user commented. "That is quite dangerous."
The new hole comes one week after a 3.5 metre sinkhole formed on College Hill in central Auckland.
The sinkhole on College Hill. Photo: RNZ / Delphine Herbert
Auckland Council said a stormwater pipe that was due to be replaced this month had developed further damage.
Healthy Waters head of operations Andrew Skelton said it was expected to take four months to replace the sewerage pipe and fix the sinkhole.
The pipe had caused the soil and road above it to subside, he said.
Nearby cafe owners told RNZ the damage and the blocked off road had an immediate impact on their businesses.