Sandflies in New Zealand: how to camp with fewer bites

Choose the pitch carefully

Moving air and distance from still water can reduce activity. Keep doors and screens closed before unloading, because an open campervan becomes a trap for the rest of the night.

Wear long sleeves, socks and trousers at dawn and dusk. Apply an effective repellent according to its label and reapply after swimming or heavy rain.

Manage the interior

Repair screen holes before reaching remote camps and avoid bright interior lights with doors open. Cook outside only as conditions allow, then move inside quickly.

Do not spray insecticide around food, children or unventilated sleeping spaces. Use products only where their directions permit.

Treat bites and watch reactions

Wash bites, avoid scratching and use ordinary itch relief when suitable. Seek medical advice for signs of infection or a severe allergic reaction.

Sandfly pressure changes with wind, temperature and rainfall. A nearby exposed holiday park can be a sensible alternative to a beautiful but still riverside camp.

Where and when they are worst

Sandflies concentrate on the West Coast, throughout Fiordland, around the Catlins and in damp bush near water anywhere in the country. They are worst at dawn and dusk, in still conditions and close to rivers and coast, and they largely disappear in wind, cold and full sun.

The transition can be abrupt. The eastern side of the Haast Pass is close to sandfly-free and the western descent is not, so have repellent accessible in the cab rather than packed away before you cross.

What actually works

Repellents containing DEET or picaridin are the effective options, applied to skin before you leave the vehicle rather than after the first bites. Reapply after swimming or sweating, and cover ankles, wrists and the back of the neck, which is where most bites land.

Physical barriers work better than chemistry. Long sleeves, long trousers and socks in the evening remove most of the problem, and a head net is not an overreaction on the Milford road in summer.

Managing the tent and the vehicle

Check the insect mesh for holes before you travel, because a single tear makes the tent useless against them. Enter and exit quickly, and get in the habit of zipping fully rather than most of the way.

Sandflies follow you into a van and stay. Closing up before dusk rather than after it, and killing the few that got in before you settle, saves a long night. A small battery fan disrupts their flight and helps more than it sounds.

Treating the bites

The reaction is delayed and the itch peaks a day or two later, often lasting a week. Antihistamine cream or tablets help, as does not scratching, which is easier said than done and is what turns a bite into an infected sore.

Some people react far more strongly than others, and reactions can build over a trip rather than settle. Carry treatment with you rather than planning to buy it, because the places where you need it are the places with no pharmacy.

Planning a trip around them

On the West Coast and in Fiordland, choose sites with some exposure to breeze rather than tucked into sheltered bush beside a river. The most beautiful sheltered spot is reliably the worst one, and a slightly windier pitch makes for a far better evening.

Time your outdoor tasks. Setting up camp, cooking and eating are all much easier in the middle of the day or in wind than at dusk, so arriving early is worth more here than almost anywhere else in the country.

Maori tradition holds that Hine-nui-te-po released the namu at Milford to stop people lingering and becoming too enchanted by the place. Having spent an evening there without repellent, the story is hard to argue with.

What does not work

Citronella candles, ultrasonic devices and wristbands are all widely sold and none of them meaningfully reduce bites. Neither does eating garlic or taking vitamin B, despite how often both are recommended.

Spend the money on a proper repellent and long sleeves instead. The things that work are unglamorous and reliable, and the things that do not are the ones sold at the campground shop.

Places along the way