Guests and neighbours of an evacuated motel in West Auckland said they were told there was a bomb scare today.
The police said there was "no risk posed by the items" and the cordon that had been put up would be removed.
A Defence Force bomb disposal team was called in.
Tony Boyd, a guest at Lincoln Court Motel, which is opposite Waitakere Hospital in Lincoln Rd, said police had told him that it is a bomb scare.
"I was told that there are several, supposedly, bombs on site."
"There are two police vans, a police vehicle and probably a dozen officers on site."
Two businesses nearby also said they had been told there was a bomb scare.
Another man said he was at a nearby hotel when he heard a commotion a few doors down the road involving a couple.
"... there was a fair amount of crying and screaming then the male ran out the door in a blue tracksuit then came back about five minutes later yelling and holding a black bag ... we have been told to leave now."
A teacher at nearby Henderson Intermediate School said she was not aware of the police having told them what was happening.
Asked if she was confident of the children's safety, she said, "Yeah, we have staff out there on duty to make sure they are safe along Lincoln Rd because it's so busy."
A police spokesman said a man was arrested at the motel for breaching his release conditions.
"While police were at the scene, a couple of suspicious items were located.
"The area was cleared and a cordon was put in place as a precaution, while the Explosive Ordinance Disposal Team - NZ Defence Force - were called to examine the items."
The 19-year-old was found in a remote area in the hills of Upper Hutt.