Every city has its secrets. But few are as literally buried as this one.
Beneath the busy streets of Auckland, just meters below thousands of commuters and tourists, lies a tunnel most locals have never heard of.
No signs. No public access.
Just a pair of sealed steel doors hidden behind overgrown brush — and a history that’s almost completely faded from public memory.
So what lies behind those locked gates under New Zealand’s largest city?
A wartime secret, long buried
The story begins in the early 1940s.
As World War II reached the Pacific, fear of Japanese attacks on Auckland grew.
In response, local authorities — working with British engineers — commissioned a series of emergency underground shelters and service tunnels beneath key parts of the city.
Most were small, unremarkable, and eventually demolished or sealed.
But one tunnel stood out: nearly 300 meters long, wide enough for small vehicles, and reinforced with steel and concrete.
Its exact location? Somewhere beneath the Albert Park area, stretching toward the University of Auckland.
Originally designed as a bomb shelter and military access route, it was never fully completed before the war ended.
And afterward, it simply… vanished from public records.
Urban myth or real structure?
Over the decades, stories about the “Albert Park Tunnels” have popped up in online forums and local legends.
Some say it was used during the Cold War for secret communications.
Others claim there are sealed chambers containing decommissioned weapons, forgotten machinery, or even emergency rations from the 1950s.
A few believe it connects — or once connected — to other structures beneath the city, including the Town Hall and Civic Theatre.
The entrances were welded shut in the 1960s.
But one of them, partly obscured by vines and graffiti, still exists — barely visible near Constitution Hill, behind a locked metal gate embedded in a slope.
What’s actually inside?
In 2017, a team of engineers from Auckland Council was granted access to inspect the interior of one of the tunnels for safety reasons.
Their findings, quietly released in an internal report (later obtained via an OIA request), describe:
- A long, damp corridor
- Intact lighting fixtures and ventilation shafts
- Minor graffiti from the 1980s
- Several sealed side rooms, their contents undocumented
- A rusted-out ladder leading to a surface hatch that no longer opens
The tunnel was deemed “structurally sound but unsuitable for public access without major restoration.”
Since then, nothing more has been done.
Will it ever reopen?
In 2022, there was a brief push from local heritage group
to reopen and restore the tunnel as a historical site, possibly even for public tours.
But the costs, combined with safety concerns and low political priority, put the idea on indefinite hold.
Still, curiosity grows.
Urban explorers post cryptic videos. Reddit threads resurface every few months.
And late at night, if you know where to stand near the overgrown hillside, you can almost feel the cold breath of the tunnel through the cracks.
Beneath the city that never sleeps, a silent passage waits — sealed, silent, and forgotten. But not forever.
To my knowledge it was built as a kind of bunker to accommodate key civic and military leaders in the event of Auckland City being bombed during WWll. It would provide shelter and essential services so the work and management of the city could continue.
Forgotten? No. Only Forgotten by those who never knew ir was there.
I was opened a while back, it was thought the Walsh Bros. planes were put there after the war.
Your story on this is absolute bullshit everyone knows about it there’s been a petition going on for a long time over 20 years now to open it up to the public
Wows hope to see it one day
I think Auckland council should look again at creating a modest income stream.
Offer a very cheap lease as is, with the leasee covering renovation costs.
Great potential for a nightclub/ licensed cafe
I would love to be part of the team who goes in first and see what’s inside for sure
Been there saw it. There’s many sealed rooms never eoened
Whereabouts are the entrance and exit points of these fascinating Auckland archives , is there several.
Where are all the rest of the tunnels?
Definitely true. I was once shown where it connected to Albert Park. Long time ago and they talked about opening it then too and nothing happened. Would be great to have tours, like North Head.
Over time they could set up WW2 scenes in the rooms like a museum tour.
Or make it Spookers city version!
There’s another WWII tunnel beneath west Auckland.Communication equipment and U S Army marked metal crates containing………
My grandfather, a bricklayer, told us when we were children, about the tunnel and that he worked on it. He said he built brick arches in the tunnel.
When I was a kid, I was told of a tunnel that crossed the harbour to North Head and it’s tunnels.
Now there’s a thing to investigate.
After working in pri cess Street in 1976 77 the tunnel was present in nearly all working g days nobody k owing what it was and going to osteopath on the other side of Albert Park the present of something else with no ambiance it had its moments having made going to work and university a nightmare but put it to good use it will be a winner and make it’s present felt again with rail and transport nearby another tourist spot great cheers
My father helped build those tunnels
He built tunnels on Waiheke Island as well
We used to sleep in them as teenagers living in the streets. The tunnels are under Grafton bridge and lead to the hospital. Nurses and doctors used the tunnels in the war.
There is a cemetery that also has entrances to these tunnels
More lies about our past . Shady as governments an Anzac crap fuk … Keep it real for once . Honki halfcast kiwis
63f.nz….im a aucklander and briefly a member of west auck historical society. Had to leave as had baby….im ashamed to say I had no idea these existed…I knew about north head. Lava tunnels and caves but not this…..seriously what’s holding auck up…the volcano. Eek no wonder inner city having huge sinkholes. Scary
Also there is also a void under 300 Queen Street a relic of Mayor Robies days apparently set up for his dream rapid rail days.
I can remember my dad and mum talking about those tunnels. My dad was from town and mum was from Grey Lynn so they were familiar with the area. But dad said they were for people to go into if there was war in Auckland for safety. And for running the comms from.
That only one of many in Auckland one tree hill top left side going down by road tunnel from there to onehunga wharf sitting there use in war Mt Victoria north shore tunnels facing Rangitoto they stored planes in 2nd war an still there to this day how many more there total amount is 29 in Auckland alone
Outside Auckland meters are usually spelt as metres.
I am glad there is someone else who knows that a METRE is a measure of distance and a METER is a measuring instrument. The USA calls everything meters in their dumbed down Engrish.
There’s many more secrets buried beneath the ground and the sea we should all be weary out of sight out of mind . What about North Head and Mt Vic urban legend has it there’s a buried plane hanger with a duel engine bomber that never got its chance to join the fight who knows but it would be cool to find it
Why not tell us what it is/was ? And open up for people to see it’s part of nz history in those world altering times GO FOR IT
The 1940’s flats on Parnell Rise in Bedford Street were built by the US navy for their officers during the war, so I was informed by an old-timer who was there at the time. They even had round naval-motif windows in their front doors (which were replaced by HNZ the 1990’s). The internal layout of these flats seem very American and you can find old photos of soldiers in formation outside these flats.
Hi, l remember it, one entrance in Wellesley Street East by the Art Gallery. The other in Wellesley Sreet East. After WW2 it was Boarded up, under Albert Park
The tunnels are real, and fairly well known. It wasn’t that long ago that you could slither in through the entrance at the bottom of constitution hill and crawl over the blocks of sandstone that they filled the tunnels with down to a cavity underneath constitution hill somewhere, full of grafitti and discarded beer bottles and smelling like piss.
That particular tunnel runs all the way from constitution hill to behind the gateway sculpture on the other side of Albert Park where it meets… Victoria St IIRC… it’s been a long time since I’ve been in Auckland.
There were plans to reopen those tunnels at one point, but like I say, they filled the tunnels with blocks for some reason, and buried one end of the tunnel behind a rock retaining wall behind the sculpture, so they can’t just cast open the doors and let people in and the tunnels certainly don’t look like whatever that bullshit AI generated picture is showing.
Shoulder belts could potentially supply better protection throughout extreme turbulence by stopping passengers from being lifted from their seats.
How many year before the war do you guys think they would’ve need to start to have ready around the time of war
A very valid point Craig. Would’ve taken a lot longer than stated. IMO.
My late Mother and her sister were working in Auckland central during WW2 and they were assigned to different bomb shelter/tunnels, Mum to Albert Park (Victoria St entrance then later to the Alten Rd entrance) and my Aunt was assigned to the Myers Park shelter/tunnels.
We always knew where the entrances were growing up.
I see you’ve pivoted from your BS Wellington Bunker Thing. FYI I’ve reported that post to Netsafe.
You must have too much time on your hands.
My understanding is the tunnels also may link up with the natural volcanic tunnels that are under the city, and that you can walk through to Avondale/Pt Chev area.
No – it was before any WW1 or WW2. It was since Governor George Grey and the very first parliament in New Zealand, now the University Of Auckland. The threat of (a formidable massive Tribe at the time) Nai Tuhoe, who were accused of preparing to invade Auckland. Whether a hoax or not, Governor Grey leveraged such theories for financial aided campaigns and serving to accomplish his administration of a War Policy. The concrete wall at the eastern end of Victoria St and Lorne St is – Tuhoe’s Wall. There the staircase leads to Albert Park.