Living with the ranges
Slips after the 2023 storms
Auckland Emergency Management says the Auckland Anniversary storm and Cyclone Gabrielle caused extensive landslides across the Waitākere Ranges board area, damaging roads, water and power supply, and property.
Runoff is the warning sign
Its plan says most small landslides are caused by water runoff, so changes in how stormwater drains on a slope can signal ground movement.
Wood burners in four in ten homes
At the 2023 Census, 39.2% of Titirangi dwellings used a wood burner as a main heater, against 28.2% nationally, and 24.3% were sometimes damp (New Zealand: 15.8%).
Hilly ground, tricky repairs
After the January 2023 storm broke a watermain on Scenic Drive, Watercare asked Titirangi to cut water use. It said leaks there are hard to locate and repairs on hilly terrain are challenging.
Septic tanks and tank water
If your home is not on the public supply, the Waitākere Ranges plan says the water is your responsibility. For septic systems it sets simple rules: have the whole system checked regularly, fit an outlet filter so solids stay out of the disposal field, and spread out washing, dishwasher loads and showers to avoid a water rush hour.
A septic tank and its drains are drainlaying work, and PGDB says a homeowner cannot install, alter or repair a drain, including connecting one to a septic tank. See septic tanks and water pumps and tanks.
Wetbacks and cylinder swaps
With wood burners this common, some Titirangi cylinders may be heated by a wetback. Under the Building Act, a cylinder connected to a wood burner can be replaced without consent only by a comparable open-vented cylinder, in the same position and on the same pipework. Anything else is a consent question for your plumber and the council. More on wetbacks.
Close by: New Lynn, Henderson and West Auckland. Jobs: drainlayers, leak detection and hot water cylinders.
What we would do
On a Titirangi slope, know where every downpipe and drain lets its water out, and walk the section after heavy rain. New wet patches, water appearing where it never ran before, or a soggy bank below a pipe deserve a look straight away: a leaking pipe or a broken stormwater line on a hillside is not a job to leave. Check the meter first to rule out a supply leak. Then we will match you with an authorised Titirangi drainlayer or plumber who works on steep sites.