It's a stunning vista on Marine Parade in Mellon's Bay except for the stretch of road that's been caving in after months of severe weather in Auckland.
Cones surround approximately 25m of the seaward side of the road, which is slowly being swallowed up. Bollards lined along the sodden bank have moved further down the slope, presumably by the sheer force of wet soil.
Some residents are more concerned than others about the damage. One couple said it's put a stop to noisy street-car racing that goes on at night along the coastal one-way road. However others told 1News they have heard nothing from the council and want to know when the sloping street, cracked and coned off, will be fixed.
Mark Treneman has lived on Marine Parade for 52 years and said he began to see cracks in the road about a decade ago.
The last fix he said was earlier this year but "it's come to a situation now where I think they perhaps need to do a lot more".
He said he's seen Auckland Council representatives visit regularly "keeping an eye on it".
Treneman believes "numerous" concrete trucks linked with residential development on the parade over the past few years has not helped the road's stability.
"I don't know the tonnage of them but there's also timber trucks and everything associated with building and I think that has played a part in it but to what part, one couldn't say."
He said he's not surprised the road has started to collapse after the heavy rain the region has endured this year.
"My own personal observation is that a retaining wall needs to go in, under the expertise of the engineers over what depth and size — I think that would help stabilise it."
Treneman said he thinks neighbours are concerned but the question he has for the council is when it is going to get fixed.
Another resident is frustrated she hasn't heard anything from the council, by mail or in person.
She said she understood this year's fix was only temporary.
"They dug up the road, filled it and tar-sealed it. And look at it now, it was just a waste of time and money.
"Why not do it once and do it right?
"We are fortunate the other side of the road hasn't been affected. They have to fix the road because it's one-way and if the cracks get bigger and move across the road, there's no access in or out."
A spokesperson for Auckland Transport confirmed the damaged area has been aggravated by six months of heavy rainfall and said options for a fix are currently being considered.
"Any repair here is not a straightforward fix, as there is still some significant ground movement within this slip site.
"Our consultants have looked at some possible options we could consider for this slip, but these require further investigation and analysis which we are working on now.
"Marine Parade is under regular monitoring for further deterioration."
National's transport spokesperson Simeon Brown said he wants to see a long-term fix.
"This road has had subsidence for some time. Auckland Transport did work on it earlier in the year but clearly didn't fix the road to ensure it was more resilient. Auckland Transport needs to explain what the solution is for this road and ensure that contractors working on it actually provide a long-term fix, rather than just providing a new seal over top of the road."
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