It's culturally significant, but plans for a new path around it have been put on ice until more information is available.
The track around the harbour side of Mount Maunganui (Mauao) was damaged during a storm in 2017.
At the time, 1 NEWS was told it would be repaired by Christmas, but more than two years on the track remains closed.
There have been three slips on the site over a 75-year period, experts told the council. Building a bridge around the slip would put the project at risk of being "destroyed again", they said.
Councillor Catherine Stewart told a committee meeting it "seems an overkill to me".
A budget of $2.2 million was approved by council in June 2017 to repair the slip damage on Mauao.
More than $600,000 has been spent so far, including design, consent, engineering and negotiation with contractors and project management.
There were three options for repairing the track, one of which would cost more than $3.5 million for a realigned pathway.
All three options would take the repair bill to more than $5 million.
A temporary track has been constructed around the slip, but the steep steps are difficult for strollers and the elderly to navigate.
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