Pipe failure caused tomo to open in Golden Sands, Pāpāmoa

A sinkhole opened up on Golden Sands Drive in Pāpāmoa. Photo / Kaitlyn Morrell

A sinkhole that opened up near a Pāpāmoa school was caused by a failed wastewater pipe, Tauranga City Council says.

The tomo is more than 5m deep and 3m wide, and was discovered next to a public footpath on Golden Sands Drive, opposite Golden Sands School, on Thursday morning.

In a Friday statement, the council said a wastewater pipe had failed and created a tomo with sand being drawn into the pipe.

A sinkhole opened up on Golden Snads Drive in Papamoa. Photo / Kaitlyn Morrell

Staff and contractors had secured the site and ensured underground services in the area were protected.

How the pipe failed “will be identified when excavations are complete”.

The pipe had been isolated and overland pumps installed to redirect flow and pump wastewater to the Golden Sands pump station.

The statement warned there maybe “noise and odour” associated with this temporary set up.

There may also be traffic delays, with traffic management in place and two lanes operating on Golden Sands Drive.

Traffic management is in place on Golden Sands Drive as work continues on a sinkhole that was discovered on Thursday.

“We thank the Pāpāmoa community for their patience as we work resolve the issue as quickly and safely as possible.”

A resident told the Bay of Plenty Times on Thursday he had “never seen so much hi-vis”.

“I wouldn’t have expected that to happen around here,” he said.

Almost 20 people were at the site assessing the sinkhole at the time.