A large sinkhole has opened on Hackett Street in the central Auckland suburb of St Mary’s Bay, forcing the road to close since the evening of 23 July. The hole is about 5 metres long and more than 1 metre deep in some places. Local people say it is big enough to swallow a car. Workers have been repairing the area while the road remains closed.
Residents said they lost their water supply for a short time when a pipe broke on Thursday night, but the water was restored later that evening. Because the road is closed, people living nearby have had to take a longer route using Shelly Beach Road. A large steel plate had covered the damaged area before the ground finally collapsed.
Long-time resident Tony Skelton said the damaged overflow point was first affected during the January 2023 floods. He believes it was only partly repaired before the sinkhole appeared. Watercare has been asked to comment about the situation. Similar sinkholes have appeared in Auckland in recent years, with experts linking some of them to ageing pipes and heavy rain.
Another sinkhole opened in central Auckland in January 2025, and a much larger one caused major traffic problems on College Hill in July 2023. These events show how old underground pipes and wet weather can sometimes damage roads. Repairing sinkholes can take a long time because workers must make sure the ground is safe before reopening the road.
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