North Shore land-slip hits landmark

A house in danger at Beach Haven, Auckland, today. Picture / Paul Estcourt

A slip in the Auckland suburb of Beach Haven is threatening a house and may have damaged a popular local landmark.

The slip, which follows a day of very heavy rain, rumbled about 15 metres down the hillside at Larkings Landing carrying an estimated 20 tonnes of soil and trees.

Engineers were inspecting a 30m-high cliff face to assess if any more of it would fall as the heavy rain continued.

One of the owners, who did not want to be named, said they evacuated the house as a precaution.

She said until the engineers had completed their report, they did not know the future of the land or the two houses closest to the cliff edge.

North Shore City Council spokesman Paul O'Brien said the site would also be inspected by Earthquake Commission engineers.

The slip has crashed down on top of a landmark boat owned by a local identity Frank Larking.

Larking, awarded the QSM, is revered in the area for rowing his boat across the upper Waitemata Harbour to Hobsonville, where he had worked at the airforce base, to bring back sacks of sand to build up Beach Haven beach. He also let local children use his own boat to learn sea skills, as well as repairing a boat he donated for local youngsters and repeatedly repaired the Beach Haven Wharf.

His boat, the Dray, has been pushed aside by the slip, leaving it half-covered in mud. The trailer it sits on has been submerged and a barbecue beside it has been buried.

The slip occurred at 7.30pm and the area was cordoned off last night.

Police, firefighters and North Shore City Council officers were at the scene at first light this morning.