North Shore and Hibiscus Coast Pothole Hotspots — What AT's Data Shows
- PotholeExpert
- Jun 11
- 4 min read
From Devonport's heritage streets to Whangaparaoa's peninsula spine, Auckland Transport logged 3,530 pothole dispatches across the urban north between January 2024 and June 2026 — and closed 51.4% of the public's reports with no repair recorded, the second-highest rate in the region after rural Rodney.
The numbers come from AT's complete dispatch log, released under LGOIMA (case CAS-1344360-H7J1V4). This is the North Shore and Hibiscus Coast cut: the 15 most-dispatched roads from Birkenhead to Silverdale, why the north's pothole season barely exists (1.24× winter — the flattest in Auckland), and the stat that stands out most — 128 of 294 reports AT itself classified as Emergency priority, 43.5%, were closed no-action.
Region-wide context, including the league table that grades the north a D, is in the full AT data breakdown and the interactive AT Pothole Index.
The 15 worst pothole roads, North Shore and Hibiscus Coast (AT's own data, Jan 2024 – Jun 2026)
Ranked by pothole dispatches recorded in AT's log over 29 months:
Scott Rd (Hobsonville–Whenuapai; AT logs it under its Albany area) — 112 dispatches, 45% closed no-action
Hibiscus Coast Highway (Ōrewa–Silverdale) — 71 dispatches, 35% closed no-action
East Coast Rd (Silverdale–Redvale) — 70 dispatches, 23% closed no-action
Whangaparāoa Rd (Whangaparāoa) — 56 dispatches, 32% closed no-action
Queen St (Northcote) — 51 dispatches, 10% closed no-action
Beach Haven Rd (Beach Haven) — 47 dispatches, 26% closed no-action
Okura River Rd (Okura) — 43 dispatches, 47% closed no-action
Vaughans Rd (Okura–Long Bay) — 43 dispatches, 33% closed no-action
East Coast Rd (Takapuna–Glenfield section) — 41 dispatches, 29% closed no-action
Lake Rd (Devonport–Takapuna) — 39 dispatches, 31% closed no-action
Trig Rd (Whenuapai) — 37 dispatches, 32% closed no-action
Beach Rd (East Coast Bays) — 37 dispatches, 32% closed no-action
Glenvar Rd (Torbay–Long Bay) — 37 dispatches, 11% closed no-action
Onewa Rd (Northcote) — 35 dispatches, 54% closed no-action
Birkenhead Ave (Birkenhead) — 35 dispatches, 57% closed no-action
Method: Auckland Transport pothole dispatch log, released under LGOIMA (case CAS-1344360-H7J1V4, 9 June 2026) — 26,863 records, 1 January 2024 to 3 June 2026, as recorded by AT. "Closed no-action" = AT status "No Action Required": closed with no repair recorded. AT formally declined (LGOIMA s17(e)) to provide reasons — it holds no reason breakdown. Road names as they appear in AT's log. Full regional analysis in our AT pothole data breakdown and the interactive AT Pothole Index.
Half the public's reports, closed with no repair recorded
The north's defining number: of 2,299 public pothole reports, 1,182 — 51.4% — were closed "No Action Required." Only Rodney bins a higher share. AT holds no record of the reasons; it declined our LGOIMA request for a breakdown under s17(e). Duplicates, below-threshold damage (AT's intervention level is 100 mm across or 50 mm deep) and private-surface reports all plausibly contribute — in what mix, nobody can say.
Sharper still: AT classed 294 of the north's reports as Emergency priority, and closed 128 of them — 43.5% — no-action. That's the highest emergency bin rate in the region (the regional figure is 19.5%). For the jobs that do get dispatched, response is solid: 97.9% on-target, median 7.5 hours on completed public reports. The gap, as everywhere in Auckland, sits between report and dispatch.
One more northern quirk: there's barely a pothole season here. Winter runs just 1.24× the rest of the year (regional: 1.77×) and the peak month was August 2025 — the urban north's pavement load is steady, year-round wear rather than rural winter blowout. Repairs spend reflects the volume: $1.16M in itemised claims, second only to Central.
Driveways, body corps and showroom carparks: the north's private asphalt
The urban north is dense with exactly the private surfaces AT will never touch: cross-lease shared drives in Birkenhead and Beach Haven, body-corp complexes from Takapuna to Milford, and the big-box and showroom carparks along Wairau and Constellation. Past the road reserve, the repair is the owner's — over half of the north's binned reports plausibly include surfaces that were never AT's to fix.
We quote those from photos at a fixed price: asphalt pothole repair across the Shore and the coast — Albany, Takapuna, Glenfield, Birkenhead, Whangaparāoa, Ōrewa — with carpark scoping for property managers in the carpark repair guide. No winter off-season up here means no excuse to wait, either.
Frequently asked questions
Which North Shore road has the most potholes?
In AT's log, Scott Rd (Hobsonville–Whenuapai, recorded under AT's Albany maintenance area) leads with 112 dispatches, then Hibiscus Coast Highway (71) and East Coast Rd through Silverdale–Redvale (70). Within the Shore proper, Queen St Northcote (51) and Beach Haven Rd (47) top the list.
Why was my 'emergency' pothole report closed with no action?
You're not alone: 43.5% of reports AT classed Emergency priority in the urban north were closed with no repair recorded — the region's highest rate. AT records no reasons (declined under LGOIMA s17(e)). If the hazard is real and still there, report it again with a photo and exact location.
Is there a pothole season on the North Shore?
Barely. Winter dispatches run just 1.24× the rest of the year here — the flattest seasonal curve in Auckland (the regional average is 1.77×, and Franklin hits 2.19×). The north's load is steady urban wear, so potholes — public and private — appear year-round.
Who fixes potholes in a Takapuna body-corp carpark or an Albany shared drive?
The owners — AT maintains the public road reserve only. We repair body-corp carparks, cross-lease drives and commercial yards across the Shore at a fixed price from photos: send them through the quote form and the price is back within 24 hours.
No off-season on the Shore — wear runs year-round, and so do we. Public road: report it to AT, persistently. Carpark, shared drive or forecourt: photos via the photo-quote form — fixed price within 24 hours, Devonport to Ōrewa.
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