Wainui Falls

These are the noisiest (?) bugs in the world, make the whole foret buzz. We saw them at Wainui Falls, on the Golden Bay Coast . The Falls were amazing, we went up with Emma and Paddy, thats Emma in the photo. Tom and Paddy clambered across the rocks/river to get around and have a swim. I was adamant my legs were too short to make it, so took photos and explored a bit instead.

The Golden Coast was also our first meeting with Sand flys, I'd optimisticly thought the name meant we'd only be affected on the beach, but they should be called sand-and-grass-and-gravel-and-everywhere-flys. The bites last about 9 days, and I'm told the secret is not to scratch (hello?). As anyone who knows me will confirm, if there is a biting insect around I'll be the target, and often puff up attractively in response! Emma and Paddy say it's really mild, and just to wait till we get to the far South, when you become prisoner in your van! Local remedies include rubbing a mix of dettol and oil onto your skin, or drinking a teaspoon of kerosene a day!