Aucklanders are ignoring warnings to stay off storm-damaged walking tracks in the domain, shoving aside barriers to keep them out.
The paths - Lovers Lane and Lover's Walk - were damaged during Auckland Anniversary floods and Cyclone Gabrielle last year.
It has been almost two years since the council deemed the tracks unsafe because of slips and surface damage.
But despite the sections being out of bounds to the public, that has not stopped some locals from venturing on.
Parnell resident Bethny Uptegrove, who often runs around the domain, could not understand why the paths had been shut for so long.
"There's a hump of mud where a slip happened.
"I talked to one of the gardeners and he said with a couple of people and a Bobcat we could get rid of that in a couple of hours."
She argued that other than a hump of mud, there were no other major hazards.
"The tracks except for in the one place on Lover's Walk, where it's a slippery, muddy mess, are perfectly walkable.
"It's not always pleasant, it's not well-designed or well done, but it's perfectly walkable."
Parnell resident Bethny Uptegrove says the closed paths in the Auckland Domain could be easily fixed, but they have been out of bounds for almost two years. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi
When RNZ visited the domain, barriers had been shoved to the side and there were paths made by foot traffic around fences meant to keep visitors out.
The tracks were muddy and slippery on a rainy day, and covered with leaves and fallen branches.
Uptegrove wrote to the council, wanting to know when the tracks would re-open.
"At first I didn't have any response at all.
"The second time I emailed them and included RNZ, then they sent back a note from the customer service team. They said we're sorry for the inconvenience and the design team is working on getting some signs made."
She was unconvinced the tracks would be fully restored, because the council would not give a timeframe for repair work.
"I think one or two of the biggest ones will re-open, but some of the ones less often used may just close forever.
"I'm very disappointed I wouldn't be able to use them as easily . But for a while I might continue to use them anyway."
A map of the domain, showing the closed paths. Photo: Supplied
Community walking group member Keith Ferguson said he had walked down Lovers Lane this year.
Ferguson said it seemed like people had been removing the fences.
"It's obvious the council or whoever is responsible for upgrading these walks hasn't made any effort to fix them since the storms.
"I noticed a couple of weeks ago, the council came and re-installed the fences to close the walks off."
He hoped necessary repairs would be done soon, so the group's older members could safely enjoy a bush walk.
"Someone went to a lot of trouble over the years to make them nice walks, with steps where it's steep. But the bush walks in the Auckland Domain are just not suitable to walk on.
"I question when the council are going to do something about it?"
Another park-goer Ian, who recently moved here from Australia, said he still used the domain's walking tracks, but avoided areas where the terrain was particularly rough.
"I've lived here for about a year and I've been walking around here nearly every day.
"I did walk around one where the fence is up. I didn't like the track much anyway because it's a little tricky."
University of Auckland student Thi Nguyen said she had to turn around on one of the tracks because a fallen tree had blocked the way.
Another Auckland University student Will Clingin said the closed paths were adding time to his commute.
"It's a bit of disruption for getting to and from Uni sometimes, probably five minutes at least.
"It's not a massive deal but a bit stink to see them closed and they don't seem to be getting repaired."
Auckland Council area operations manager Martin Wong said it was important visitors paid attention to barriers and closed signs, and stayed off the tracks.
"Clear signage and barricades have been in place to mark these closures since early 2023.
"Unfortunately, this has not stopped some visitors accessing the damaged tracks, despite ongoing safety risks."
Wong said heavy rainfall during the winter last year worsened the paths' condition, which slowed down repairs.
He said the council was seeking tenders and resource consent to have repairs completed this summer.
He was unaware of any accidents occurring on the tracks while they had been closed.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
