The discovery of a population of poisonous spiders at a Northland beach seems unlikely to deter gay holiday makers from spending their summer holidays there. The Department of Conservation says it has discovered a considerable number of the shy katipo spiders in the dunes at Uretiti Beach, south of Whangarei. The spider is increasingly rare on other beaches throughout the country due to habitat changes. But a number of regular gay campers who make the camping ground in the dunes their summer holiday home say they have never heard of anyone being bitten at Uretiti Beach before and doubt that there is any particular risk. They say the spiders' presence of will not put them off returning to Uretiti next summer. Each year several hundred glbt campers, mostly from the northern North Island converge on Uretiti from Christmas eve well in to the new year. Katipo spiders are a distant relative of Australia's notorious redback spiders but are reclusive and much less venomous. No person has ever died from the spider's bite but the symptoms can be unpleasant and immediate medical attention is recommended.
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Thursday, 23rd March 2006 - 12:00pm