No ducking when duty calls

Constable Vaughan Simpson knows better than most the importance of getting your ducks in a row.

Vaughan, of Wellington traffic unit, was driving on Curtis Street, Wilton, on Labour Day evening when he spotted an unusual road hazard – a duck family defying the efforts of a group of local people to get them to safety.

The locals had found the paradise shelducks honking at a storm drain, into which two of their nine ducklings had fallen. They scooped the ducklings out but the birds refused to be ushered to safety, insisting on marching up the road.

Vaughan stopped to help escort the ducks away from the traffic but they kept heading back to the road.

“They were causing a few problems, going from the footpath into the road, and cars were having to manoeuvre around them,” says Vaughan. “They knew where they wanted to go and we were pushing them the wrong way.”

When the procession reached Chaytor Street – the main road to Karori – Vaughan stopped the busy holiday traffic to let them cross. When they reached the safety of Appleton Park Vaughan returned to his car and continued on his way.

However, the odyssey was far from over as the ducks also continued – supervised by the locals – all the way to Zealandia wildlife sanctuary, where they waited at the door until a staff member returned to work to let them in.

Vaughan says this is the first time he has had to supervise ducks in his seven years with Police – though earlier in the shift he had been dealing with wild goats on the Hutt Road.

“It was a bit of a light-hearted moment and a nice change from what we usually deal with,” he says.

Rachel Anderson-Smith, from Creswick Valley Residents' Association and one of the locals involved in the 2km rescue march, was full of praise for Vaughan’s efforts – particularly in stopping the traffic. “He was very helpful and patient,” she says. "We have a strong community spirit here and it was good to see the Police are part of that."

• Pictures courtesy of Rachel Anderson-Smith (Creswick Valley Residents’ Association). For more pictures see the Zealandia Facebook page.