A sinkhole that opened up on Arrowsmith Avenue following a burst water main last night has been assessed by engineers and is not believed to be posing any further risk.
The alarm was raised about 5.30pm when two teenagers passing by noticed a water leak on the piece of road between Chesham Avenue and Weka Road. Emergency services were called and found water pouring down the gully and a significant part of road washed out.
Taupō District Council asset manager water Tom Swindells said the site was cordoned off overnight and manned by security until an assessment could be made during daylight.Structural engineers have assessed the site this morning to check the safety of a property bordering the slip and they are confident there is no further risk. Of course we will be continuing to monitor the site while plans for repair are made. Water supply was affected to about 20 properties last night but was reinstated to all but two properties within three hours. We are continuing to work with the other two property owners to reinstate their supply, said Mr Swindells.There was some moderate damage to two Boundary Road properties at the bottom of the gully, and a significant amount of pumice had been deposited on bordering properties along the gully path, he said. The council was working on the clean-up with those property owners as well.The damage to the road is significant and we are expecting it will be closed for some weeks. All residents can access their properties however we encourage the general public to avoid the area where possible, he said.