30 -31 Dec:Justin's Birthday & NYE at Franz Josef & Okarito

Fox Glacier NZMCA site (unpowered)

This was a dramatic change from anything we had seen before now. From the friendly genuine New Zealand quaintness, we entered tourist country big time! and upon entering Fox Glacier town saw the monstrosity that is the newly-built DoC building. Poison-signs were all around the bush but conspicuous by their absence within the town boundaries and on any of the colourful glossy brochures about the DoC tracks. There was no-where safe to take Dizzy for a walk around here, other than along the roads.

The new DoC building with iSite which also houses the hot spa pools.

We set up camp in the quite isolated campsite  - and quiet - just outside the town to investigate properly.

Our camp for the two nights.

The small community I had seen on our original visit 14 years ago had been completely transformed into a mecca of coaches which regularly poured smoking and photo-taking Japanese youngsters  - cameras and phones in hand - onto the pavement queues for public toilets and flags advertising various tour operators’ helicopter flights. Between them, numerous stylish-looking café-bars, clothing stores and a 'kiwi experience'. Urgh!

Prices are very high and the international staff mainly uninformed and unhelpful. The surrounding glacier landscape seemed irrelevant to many of the people here - which was a shame. And perhaps this inhospitable atmosphere, constant grey weather and the background of grey landscape  - together with the poisoned-lined tracks that seemed totally nauseating to me and Dizzy - it all made me feel quite depressed. :( What was worse, I stopped at the DoC info centre, enquiring about the possibility of any dog-friendly, non-poisoned tracks in the area (I know, optimistic of me) but the staff there were seemingly totally unaware of the risks of the poison, whether there had even been any aerial 1080 drops recently and where they were - let alone where it was safe to go.

Unbelievable. I waited 20 mins to speak to a 'supervisor' they had referred me to - only to get the typical dismissive blase attitude you always get from DoC staff (i.e. what do you own a dog for anyway?). I gave up. But I did write (another) DoC email to the manager stating my anger at the lack of training and appalling customer service. Of course, just the standard template response was sent back - including (joke of all jokes) the apparent 'scientific validity' of journalist Dave Hansford's book about the 'safety' of 1080 to the public. (are the DoC staff all paid to write that rubbish?)

The grey river-bed of the glacial waters...

It was such a relief to find a good Indian restaurant in the town of Franz to celebrate Justin’s birthday on the 30th and have a laugh at the manager’s expense – he was an inexperienced and immature guy who thought his own jokes were funny. The Fijian barman was genuinely funny though, and very talented at making the happy-hour cocktails!

Some of the pipe paraphernalia at the Indian restaurant along with some interesting historical photos... 

We got a bit merry on the Cocktails and celebrated the New Year a bit early! LOL!

The practicalities of spending any time as a 'tourist' in this town soon became obvious when I tried getting change for the launderette – none of the nearby ‘information’ sales desks would help. We later learnt the trick though – tell them you need change for the lockers at the Hot Spa – to gain your extra tourist buck, their approach is transformed. :) We did visit the (quite expensive) Hot Spa, on a cold, drizzly day it seemed a good way to pass a few hours on a lazy New Years’ Eve afternoon. It was clean and tidy (a new facility only a year old) and full of all kinds of tourists and also some locals. It was a welcome activity after a few days freedom camping where generous hot water is so precious.

The Dawn Chorus was virtually silent the two mornings we spent there at the NZMCA site - which is surrounded by dense bush – and no surprise really with the amount of 1080 dropped over the area relatively recently in Sept 2016.

Dawn on the road leading to the campsite - calm day ahead but not a single sound from the bush other than blackbirds...

On New Years' Eve we ventured further afield - leaving Stan-the-Van safely secure at the NZMCA site. We'd heard about the nearby DoC Kiwi Sanctuary at Okitika peninsular because some of the people we'd spoken to in town had spent hundreds of dollars participating in 'Kiwi experiences' during the dead of night, only to be disappointed. I was curious because I knew the 'Sanctuary' paradoxically had been heavily poisoned, and from what I had seen so far of DoC land, it was a void for any living thing. Certainly for the insect-eating amphibians and birds, I could see very little evidence here (compared to 'natural' places like Makorora for example) that anything thrives.

Taking a drive and walking along the Okarito Reserve it was obvious we were surrounded by poison at every turn. This is another example of the bizarre nature of DoC's policies - Okarito is a sand-spit, a wetland waterway, 20 square kms of lagoons and a network of streams. We know that Compound 1080 is highly mobile in water, dissolves but does not 'biodegrade' (as DoC propaganda likes to claim) as it's synthetic and can accumulate in tissue and bones. But there has yet to be any meaningful scientific research into this risk - which goes against the manufacturer's instructions for use of the poison (Tull Chemicals, Alabama, USA). What is actually happening to our wildlife and to public health as a result of decades of aerially poisoning our landscapes and water-tables? No-one knows...

Info at the historic wharf area  - and kayak's available to hire. 

The paradox: beautiful beach, warm, white sand. Ruined by highly lethal, inhumane poison baits. Note the 'no fishing' instructions - is that because DoC knows the health risks but won't admit to them?

The photo to the left shows the entrance to the main 'Kiwi' area - poison all around and this was opposite the Okarito camping area. Unbelievable that the small community here (about 300 houses  - mainly bachs) can survive in this environment. How long has this been going on I wonder? How is their health? How many dogs have been lost?








During our travels in this area, we saw a couple of fan tails, but no Tui or other native birds at all. Only a few blackbirds and sparrows at the campsite which was literally right in the bush with trees all around us. One unpleasant observation, when Dizzy does her poos, I’m used to lots of flies instantly landing on it (oh the joys of dog-ownership!). Here, the only insects around were sandflies. If this is the result of the poisoning, its very sad indeed.

We also drive out to the Fox Glacier, walked the tracks and travelled to nearby Gillespies Point by the only gravel road  - an area which has escaped the poison so far. We found a wonderful empty grey sandy beach, which the campers had artistically decorated with dozens of driftwood and pebble sculptures:

We met an interesting young American couple who (very bravely) were camping in a tent at the DoC site (no facilities here other than one smelly long-drop toilet and tap dispensing seawater). We ate lunch together under the shelter provided to escape the rain and wind, and talked about Trump and world politics and their hopes of moving overseas to NZ or Canada. They were away for 2 months I think, so plenty of time to get a 'feel' for this country...