“My heart went into my throat.”
Jones managed to pull her pet out before her head went under. The dog was left covered in silt and sand, and smelling like decomposing plants.
“She was very wide-eyed, it gave her a fright.”
Missy had swelling on her paws today but was otherwise okay, Jones said.
The walkway was busy and needed to be cordoned off until it could be repaired, she added.
“It’s a serious injury waiting to happen. It’s not small, and if a small child or a small dog falls in there, I don’t think you’d be able to get them out very easily.”
A retaining wall was beside the hole next to the beach shore, with water falling down it.
Residents told RNZ the leak had been growing for weeks, along with the hole, which they had reported to the council.
RNZ measured the hole as being just under a metre deep. Photo / RNZ, Baz Macdonald
A Porirua City Council spokesperson said it was concerned about the area and the section of the path would be closed for the weekend. However, it was unclear whose problem it was to fix.
“There will be a further investigation as to who carries responsibility for the leak, which will include talking to nearby boatshed owners.”
A spokesperson from the Parks team said council-owned water services agency Tiaki Wai had carried out repairs on the site last week, however, the hole had come back worse.
A Tiaki Wai spokesperson said they had attended and inspected the site.
“As it is a private leak, we will need to work with the responsible owner for them to make the repair,” the spokesperson said.
“We will continue to monitor the site until this repair is underway.”