Police have swarmed a street in the Auckland suburb of Epsom after a bomb was found at someone's house.
A Newshub reporter at the scene said there were multiple cops and a couple of streets in the area had been cordoned off. These cordons were later lifted just before 9pm.
On Thursday afternoon, police were alerted of an old mortar shell located at a property in Pukenui Road, Epsom.
"Nearby properties have been evacuated as a precaution and Police advise members of the public to avoid the area while the incident is resolved," police said.
The New Zealand Defence Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team was at the scene.
They were unable to remove the item, however, precautions have been put in place to mitigate any risk.
Residents will be allowed home on Thursday night but will be evacuated again on Friday.
A scene guard will be in place at the affected property overnight.
When Newshub spoke to residents in the area, they said nothing like this has ever happened before.
"I was quite surprised because this is a very posh area, a very busy street and we don't really expect any bomb threats over here," resident Adi Kalan told Newshub.
Resident Andrew Fleming had been visiting some friends in Newmarket and was driving back home when he noticed the area had been cornered off.
"I just came back and saw this all cornered off which is quite concerning. I haven't seen all this before in this area," Fleming told Newshub.
He has lived in the area for almost 20 years and said it was a first for something like this to happen in the area.
