J and I got in our 1st swim for November at Hataitai Beach today. The water was the warmest so far this winter/spring.
There is a sign on a lamppost at Hataitai Beach that warns motorists to be careful of penguins crossing. What? Penguins crossing? I have been swimming at Hataitai now for about 30 years, passing it in my car for the same length of time, and daytime or nighttime I have never seen one penguin.
Perhaps a Penguins Crossing has superceded a Zebra Crossing. I mean .... penguins... zebras ... they're both black and white, yes? But the notice is facing away from the crossing. So, I'm still perplexed.
There's another penguin sign further along the road at Balaena Bay, maybe a km away from Hataitai Beach, and another one, I think, at Breaker Bay. Is this a ploy by Wellington City Council to bring in tourists? Do sightseers sit on the grass verge opposite Hataiati Beach, hidden behind the flax bushes, binoculars at the ready, waiting of an evening for hordes of little penguins to waddle across the road? How sad.
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