Has anyone been bitten or know someone that has been bitten by a spider in NZ and if so what did it look like? I got bitten this May in Abel Tasman and was never sure if it was a psider that got me or not!?
2007-07-06 03:52:49 · 11 answers · asked by Clazza 2 in Travel ➔ Australia ➔ Other - Australia
I was bitten and it was very painful and swollen and got worse in the following 72 hours - eventually I was sent to A&E and they gave me brufen and antihistamines and antibiotics. It was considered to have been a spider bite by them and I thought it looked like a small spider the size of a mosquito. But didn't get a v good look at it so not sure.
2007-07-06 04:09:10 · update #1
Just to say as well, it was on my arm, on the soft bit just underneath, and the area was very sore, went purple and over the next 72 hours it spread and spread so my arm was getting more swollen and started to ache too, I also got bitten by sandflies whilst there so I guess what I'm saying is I KNOW it wasn't a sandfly or mozzy. It was definitely something else. It looked like a big blister and I was told it could have got infected and turned into an ulcer that would take months to heal. But this didn't happen presumably because the antihistamines etc worked??
2007-07-09 00:27:33 · update #2
What you are describing is exactly what I had.
I lived in Nelson near the Abel Tasman and I got bitten (in my home) by a white tail - can't even describe the pain!!! I would rather have gone through child birth again.
Hospitals wouldn't help me, told me to take panadol and antihistamine etc.... nothing worked, after about 48 hours I decided to drink a few bottles of wine - that finally killed the pain.
Worst thing was I was flying back to Aussie the next day, I had this rash on the inside of my wrist and looked horrible, I had visions of customs turning me away as that time I think the bird-flu was doing the rounds world wide and everyone was on high-alert.
2007-07-06 11:17:43 · answer #1 · answered by • Koala • uʍop ɹǝpun 7 · 2⤊ 2⤋
1. NZ does not have the issues with spiders that Australia does, although a couple of species of aussie spiders have made their way here ie White tail. Most people don't like them (it's the only spider I have an issue with). Apart from that, spiders are not an issue (in terms of poisonous we only have the rare katapo which is only on some beaches and I have only ever seen it at university). The white tail is not poisonous as such but apparently gives a good bite that can get infected but actual bites are a LOT less common than what people say. 2. Queenstown is NOT on a beach, it is on a lake. 3. We have no snakes or crocodiles or anything else like that. Most kiwis are **** scared of things like that!!!
2016-05-19 22:04:35 · answer #2 · answered by tamesha 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is only 1 native spider in NZ thats poisonous and its never killed anyone (katipo)....as others have commented the white tail is the one that seems to cause a few probs, but its not small, quite black with a distinctive white patch around the tail ( it from Austalia!!!).....
I have been bitten...as least the Dr and I think I was once year ago, that eventually got infected...it was a really weird, like a very thick blister ( with no fluid) that took ages ie months to heal....I always thought it could have been a white tail, but have no idea.
THere are lots of mosquitos and sandflies in that area and they can get infected....especially people not used to their bites..I lived on the West Coast ( of the South Island) and experienced these little deamons....my mosquito bites were HUGE....or at least I reacted to them....they must have been 5cm dia!!! it could have been something like that that you reacted to and then got infected???
2007-07-06 13:29:34 · answer #3 · answered by mareeclara 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Although the say nothing poisons will bite you in New Zealand we do have the Katipo spider which is a relative of the red back, they are rare but i have seen two in my life time. It was most likely the white tail spider which in not deadly but can be very painful and has a wide range of symptoms. Hope its better soon.
2007-07-09 08:12:29 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I was biten by a spider in Fiji and ended up with a really nasty bite that turned purple. Was bitten on the shin and it travelled down my leg and caused terrible infection. My entire foot swelled too with fluid. Never seen anything like it. Took over 10 days to go. had to be treated with 2 strong antibiotics.
2007-07-06 05:59:19 · answer #5 · answered by laplandfan 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
There are three widow spiders in New Zealand, the black and red katipos which are native and the redback spider which has been imported from Australia. All widow spiders can give a painful bite but only the redback is known to kill people (and that rarely).
2007-07-06 15:37:11 · answer #6 · answered by tentofield 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are plenty of things to get bitten by in N.Z. mostly Mosquito's and Sand Flys, there are Red Backs in the country, they have sneaked in from Aus (along with a few other unwanted critters), not many though.
In Abel Tasman I got eaten by Sand Flys, they love me, seeing as I wasn't there, must have gone for you.
Safest place in the World for not getting bitten by poisonous stuff, nothing indigenous that kills by poison, gods zone as they call it.
Hope you had a good time over there, and got the weather were not having now!
2007-07-06 04:13:30 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
Had 3 holidays (North and South Island) and never knowingly saw a white tail.
If you'd been bitten in May and you are still wondering about it in July, it wasn't venomous!
2007-07-06 04:02:45 · answer #8 · answered by Veronica Alicia 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the only spider that's a problem is the white tail. its small and black with a white bit at the back, i think they're only in wellington. anything else that bites in new zealand can't harm you.
2007-07-06 03:55:58 · answer #9 · answered by Sarah J 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Thats way i could not live in these countries all the bugs, keep your sunshine
2007-07-10 02:56:31 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋