After a day’s work we went to the Victoria Domain for a walk. This is a smallish natural reserve around the coast (or at least the bit we walked around). We elected to walk to Bob’s Bay, up through a wooded hill along a path cut by hand by one Doug (or so said a bench along the way). Some of this was mountain biking track, which gave the Gentleman Friend flashbacks. A pleasant enough stroll, ending at Bob’s Bay which is named (so said a signboard) after an unknown Bob the fisherman. The GF went for a swim while I examined the gravel beach and watched the ferry to Wellington and a cruise ship pass through the harbour. Meanwhile another couple arrived on the beach on mountain bikes, looking rather stiff and traumatised.
On the way back the sky turned pale pink shading delicately into pale blue, it looked like a unicorn might come flying out at any moment. We paused on the narrow footbridge and saw a sting ray swim past. Three other groups passed us, each of them saying a variation on ‘that’s what killed that Australian guy, right?’ and what proportion of those are (as I was) actually thinking of Crocodile Dundee. It made me wonder what percentage of global sightings of sting rays are accompanied by a brief exchange about Steve irwin. Maybe in our post climate change Mad Max future, if sting rays survive they’ll be known as Irwin’s Bane.