Foveaux strait to the frontline: Meet librarian Corrina Connor

While many of us may consider the end of summer to be the end of our time in the sea, for librarian, musician and marathon swimmer Corrina Connor, that’s just the warm-up. 

In the past few years she has taken on several marathon swims, including the Cook Strait and Lake Taupō – a mere 40.2 kilometres – as well as undertaking several hypothermia-inducing ‘ice swims’, defined as swimming in water of five degrees or less. Brrr! 

After waiting three long months for the tides and conditions to line up perfectly, Corrina swam the Foveaux Strait between the South Island and Stewart Island in April 2023. 

“That was my favourite swim ever. I waited a long time to do it because the weather was bad. 

“I was nervous. It was very cold and full of sharks. Every 30 minutes, they stop you and you have whatever food you’ve planned, like steamed kūmara or a banana. Once I got a fizzy snake stuck in my throat and had to take a big drink of sea water!” 

Corrina manages to fit all of this around her role as librarian at Te Awe Library, which she started in April 2022. It’s part-time, providing her the flexibility to swim and train for big events. Making the most of the swimming spots this city provides, she heads to the Wellington Regional Aquatic Centre in Kilbirnie four times a week and spends the other days in the sea – all year round, in all conditions, without a wetsuit. And that’s when she’s not training for a challenge! 

Working at the library not only provides the flexibility Corrina needs to focus on swimming; she gets the opportunity to meet and provide help and support to the many diverse Wellingtonians who pass through Te Awe Library on a daily basis. 

“I like seeing so many different people, it's a very varied and broad cross-section of the community. There are regulars who we see every day or several times a week. You don’t know what’s going to happen that day, and it’s nice knowing that you are helping someone with something.” 

She also brings her own twist to the role. With a PhD in Historical Musicology and experience as a writer, Corrina has been able to bring these other skills and passions to the fore by writing regular roundups of new music material for the Wellington City Libraries blog. 

“I do some blogging for the library as well. I write regular posts about new classical material and books about music. I do a series that fits in with the Orchestra Wellington series.” 

Whether it’s the library, the pools, the music scene, or the beaches, Corrina takes part in and celebrates so many wonderful parts of the city we call home. She particularly praises the diversity of swimming spots and the wellbeing and community that they bring to her life. 

“There’s a big group of people who swim, no matter the weather, every day in Wellington. It’s healthy to be in nature like that, it’s a good place to think about stuff. 

“There are always new places to swim and explore. There’s a ton of variety, a beach for everyone, and having the marine reserve is great. There are more fish and seals and dolphins.” 

No matter what the challenge is we are tackling in our lives, Corrina’s swimming escapades provide us all with a useful reminder. 

“What you’re capable of doing is far in excess of what you can imagine.” 

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