Hawke's Bay road sign font change mystery. Is the calligrapher actually Mother Nature?

Gothic style font change on road sign in Omahu is down to the weather, says local. Photo / Warren Buckland

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

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.

"This has not happened to any other sign in the region and the materials are tried and tested and used nationwide," he said.

"All signs are regularly checked for reflectivity, cleanliness and clarity."

He said the changes to the sign did not create any risk of confusion or risk to people's safety and repairing it was not a priority.