Bits and Pieces - Mostly harmless

There are some things that I'd like to post about that don't really fit as travel updates so I thought I'd start a bit of a series and talk about them as I get some time. First up, it's a pretty benign place. 

The Maori woman at the museum in Wellington told me that that there is nothing native to New Zealand that will harm you, if you exclude people as native that is... the Maori were particularly brutal towards each other in particular and cannibals to boot. No poisonous snakes or spiders, no lions or tigers or bears, nothing that will attack you in the dark. The comment always stuck with me. A week or so ago I  met a retired guy who wrote medical care policy for the government when he was working so I figured he would be a good one to ask. He confirmed that this is mostly true but he was aware of one spider he called a dune spider that is quite rare but potentially could hurt you but with modern medicine, no one ever dies from it's bite.

I never thought that it was frightening to camp in the US but, to be honest, it does seem to make a difference in how spooked I feel to exit my vehicle after dark and wander to the toilet. Even the crime rate here is low. I just don't feel threatened but am careful to keep my passport and credit cards on my person most of the time.

One of the more interesting consequences of a lack of predators was the evolution of bird species here. Many species found food plentiful on the ground and with no need to fly to protect themselves, many lost the ability to fly. Kiwi's are a great example of this - their only defense is to freeze hoping to not be seen I suppose. With the arrival of ships however, rats and possums have thrived here endangering many of the bird species on the island. The government has taken a number of steps to protect the birds including the laying of poison and traps all over the island, a controversial practice to say the least, and moving species to nearby islands that are free of predators and restricting human access to them.

Next up in the series(when I get a chance): Critters