Auckland Transport has closed a busy road and rerouted bus services after a sinkhole appeared in the suburb of Otāhuhu.

The sinkhole is on Princes St, one of the main streets of the suburb, just off the Southern Motorway.

The Otahuhu sink hole. Photo / Mike Scott

The road has been closed between Great South Rd and Atkinson Ave, and detours have been put in place for four bus routes until further notice.

Last week a 3m diameter sinkhole appeared in the inner city suburb of Freemans Bay on College Hill, a busy road leading to the central city.

The sinkhole on College Hill that appeared last week. Photo / RNZ

The sinkhole appeared occurred when a 108-year-old stormwater pipe below College Hill cracked, leading groundwater to seep in during this year’s heavy rain, taking fill with it, and leading it to collapse.

Contractors moved quickly to make a temporary fix and returned on Monday to replace a 290m section of pipe, which is expected to take four months.