A sinkhole which opened on central Auckland suburb street last week could take up to two months to repair, with Watercare warning the work will be technically challenging due to a "complex" network of underground infrastructure beneath the site.
The large hole appeared on Hackett St in St Mary's Bay on July 27 and was approximately five metres long and more than a metre deep in parts.
Watercare chief operations officer Mark Bourne said work to repair sinkhole was now underway.
"The damaged wastewater pipe is located beneath large transmission pipes, which will make the repair complex and technically challenging," he said.
Around 10 metres of wastewater pipe needed to be replaced, with repairs expected to take up to two months "depending on ground conditions and construction progress".
Bourne said Hackett St contained a significant concentration of drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure that supplied both the local area and wider Auckland.
He added that repairs would require specialist construction techniques and careful management.
"We really appreciate the community’s patience while we do this complex work.
"We apologise for the inconvenience, and we will make every effort to get these repairs done and keep residents and key stakeholders updated on our progress."
According to Watercare, the sinkhole first emerged in 2023 and was caused by a failure in a deep wastewater pipe beneath other critical underground services.
A large steel plate had since covered the hole while investigations were carried out.
On July 23, an unrelated leak occurred on a nearby drinking water transmission main which required "urgent investigation" and repair works in the same area.
Bourne said excavation around the watermain to locate the leak had increased the size of the sinkhole worksite.
"Repairs to the drinking water main are now complete and Watercare will move on to fixing the wastewater pipe," he said.
"The worksite continues to be closely monitored, and residents and stakeholders are being kept updated as work progresses.
"The wider St Mary's Bay wastewater network remains in good condition."
Big enough to 'take a car'
The street had been closed since the hole emerged last week, disrupting road access and forcing motorists to detour via Shelley Beach Rd.
St Mary's Bay resident Tony Skelton, who had lived in the area for more 50 years, told 1News the overflow point had been damaged in the January 2023 floods and only partially repaired since.
"It could take a car," he said. "Watercare has only had a cursory look at it, put a steel plate over it, and it's been like that for three years. Now it has collapsed."
It's was not the first time sinkholes in and around the older inner suburbs of Auckland had made headlines in recent years.
In January 2025, another opened on the corner of Dunedin and New streets, revealing brickwork beneath the road before it was filled in.
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