Sand flies were here before you, and they'll be here long after you're gone

The most mischievous animal here is the small black sandfly which are exceedingly numerous and are so troublesome that they exceed everything of the kind I ever met with, wherever they light they cause swelling and such an intolerable itching that it is not possible to refrain from scratching and at last ends in ulcers like the small Pox.

Their almost continual rain may be reckoned another inconvenience attending this Bay. 

Captain James Cook, upon entering Dusky Sound, 1773

Tomorrow is February 4^th (Andrea’s birthday) - we'll start our cruise on Doubtful Sound – which makes my gift shopping much easier.  Nothing says romance like bug repellant and hydrocortisone cream.

Instead of posting a photo of the many scabs on our ankles following the hump ridge trek (party favors left by the sand flies after they bit us over and over and over) I’ve opted to provide a photo of a very typical stretch of road in southern NZ.  Isn’t that nice?  This is actually quite typical – a NZ road trip is top notch.  Don’t even think about sand flies.  They won’t be on the roads, they’re only “in the bush” that’s close to the coast or in the bays.