A sinkhole in the Auckland suburb of New Lynn could be bigger than it looks.

The massive hole in the pavement outside Bike Barn opened up when the area on Great North Road was submerged in chest-high water.

The road's dried out now, but two lanes are still blocked as staff assess the hole.

One Fulton-Hogan worker said other damage in the area could be connected.

"We're using certain equipment to scan underneath to make sure everything's alright, because we also have breakage down over there and we think it's maybe to do with this."

The river took over the road. Two rescued. Building at risk. Cars stuck #newlynn #flood #nzpol pic.twitter.com/vHsmIB3PaV

— David Cunliffe (@DavidCunliffeMP) March 12, 2017