Os flebotomíneos são mais intensos em torno de margens de água úmidas e protegidas, especialmente na Costa Oeste e em Fiordland. Eles são mais irritantes do que um motivo para evitar a região, mas pequenos hábitos de acampamento fazem uma grande diferença.
Escolha o tom com cuidado
A movimentação do ar e a distância de águas paradas podem reduzir a atividade. Mantenha as portas e telas fechadas antes de descarregar, pois um trailer aberto se torna uma armadilha pelo resto da noite.
Use mangas compridas, meias e calças ao amanhecer e ao anoitecer. Aplique um repelente eficaz de acordo com o rótulo e reaplique após nadar ou chover forte.
Gerencie o interior
Repare os buracos nas telas antes de chegar aos acampamentos remotos e evite luzes internas brilhantes com as portas abertas. Cozinhe fora apenas se as condições permitirem e depois entre rapidamente.
Não pulverize inseticida perto de alimentos, crianças ou locais de dormir não ventilados. Use produtos somente onde suas instruções permitirem.
Trate mordidas e observe as reações
Lave as picadas, evite coçar e use analgésicos comuns quando adequado. Procure orientação médica em caso de sinais de infecção ou reação alérgica grave.
A pressão do flebotomíneo muda com o vento, a temperatura e a precipitação. Um parque de férias exposto próximo pode ser uma alternativa sensata a um acampamento bonito, mas ainda à beira do rio.
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.
Lugares ao longo do caminho
Leve-o para a estrada
Salve as paradas. Planeje toda a viagem.
Crie uma rota ordenada a partir de locais salvos, calcule a distância e guarde datas, notas e tarefas anexadas.