A bomb squad has been sent to a popular Auckland beach after a military ordnance shell was found.

A police spokesperson said the old shell was found on Narrow Neck Beach just before 4.30pm today.

As a precaution, part of the area on the North Shore has been cordoned off.

The New Zealand Defence Force’s explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team has also been notified.

The local man who found the bomb, who wishes to remain anonymous, was trying to take a quiet after-work walk along the beach when he spotted it.

“Yeah, it had come down in one of the many landslips that have come down from the cliffs recently,” he said.

The area has long been used by the NZDF as a training area, including during World War I. The Narrow Neck suburb currently houses the Royal New Zealand Navy’s Officer Training School and other training establishments.