The clever calligrapher who altered the font on the road sign in Omahu might be Mother Nature herself.
Local resident Sebastiaan Verplanke, who drives past the sign every day, sent a close up picture of the sign to Hawke's Bay Today.
He said the road sign hadn't been a victim of vandalism.
"It is actually just weather damage - the letters are just peeling away from heat," Verplanke said.
![Up close view of the road sign's weathering and font change in Omahu. Photo / Supplied](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/PL62JLJCGZDZT6VAIJ3ASXRZEA.jpg?auth=38170cd0a6c5f12b1801bec2bf80e7c93f47be39fda0b87057f48076072996e8&width=16&height=22&quality=70&smart=true)
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency spokesman Oliver Postings said they believe it unlikely that the changes to the font are due to weather damage alone.