“I was like, oh my goodness! I slowed right down and stopped. That’s when I took out the camera.
“That part of town is only really busy either before or after a game at Hnry Stadium. I’ve never seen a seal in that part of town before.”
A seal was spotted trying to cross the road in downtown Wellington.
She said the police officer used cones to try to “persuade” the seal back in the other direction towards the water, while others were acting as “seal guardians”.
“I do wonder, there must be a family of seals somewhere looking for it, but it was heading right towards the train station, and it was very determined.”
After realising she was herself holding up a bit of traffic, Wendy got back in her car and drove away.
“I don’t know if it’s a good omen, but you know there’s $10 million going on Powerball, so I did go and buy a ticket. Fingers crossed.”
Seals and other marine mammals occasionally pop up in unusual places across New Zealand.
In December last year, a heavily pregnant sea lion was found taking a snooze on a suburban Dunedin doorstep.
In 2022, a fur seal chased a cat into a Mount Maunganui marine biologist’s lounge.
The Department of Conservation has asked people to report sightings of seals, fur seals or sea lions on or near roads, which can help “map hotspots and better understand the risks”.