The “Auckland Booms” have returned again, this time rattling houses loudly enough on Sunday night that people in the Onehunga and Mangere Bridge areas were prompted to emerge from their homes.

Previous ideas about to the cause of the noises have included fireworks, and more recently, the notion that

Auckland’s Watercare is carrying out geotechnical investigations at Manukau Harbour as part of the Central Interceptor project that is currently underway, as reported by stuff.co.nz.

A document published in 2012 describes that within the scope of this project, Watercare hopes to assist by, “Providing additional network capacity for growth and development across the Auckland Isthmus, duplicating the lower section of the regionally critical Western Interceptor, particularly the Hillsborough Tunnel and Manukau Siphon which are aging and at risk of failure, and reducing existing wastewater overflows from the old combined sewer system into urban streams and the Waitemata Harbour, improving public health and environmental conditions.”

More specifically, since January the project has undertaken drilling operations in the area. “These investigations will involve drilling holes to the depth of the future tunnel and trial pits near the access shafts that will be constructed to build the new pipeline.” In an announcement at the Watercare website, the investigative drillings were expected to conclude in early May.

For a complete overview of the project, further documentation about the project can be read here.

It is interesting to note that many of the activities outlined within the document above do coincide with areas where recent report of booms have occurred in the area, such as Hillsborough and Onehunga. However, a Watercare spokesman reportedly told Stuff that the sounds were unrelated to work carried out within the scope of the project.

Area residents appear to be growing frustrated with the lack of an explanation. We received a note recently from a Mrs. Geri Durham, also of the Auckland area, who also said she had heard these booms, placing obvious emphasis on the term, and asking for any “missing pieces” we might be able to offer:

“We here in New Zealand have also been experiencing “BOOMS!!!”, especially around the Auckland area. Many of us have asked around but no one seems to be telling us anything! If anyone could fill in the missing pieces and let us know, that would be brilliant.”

The source of the noises, while still having been attributed to fireworks in some previous reports, may indeed warrant further investigation as to their possible cause.