> > Brunnen-"they were right about the sandflies"G
>
> Sandflies? I wonder if they're the same... I have encountered insects called sandflies in a number of places, but they tend to vary in their nature. The worst I have ever encountered are the type which are unique to the Medicine Hat area. These sandflies are so small that there are only two ways you can even tell that you've encountered them: Running into a huge swarm of them (probably tens of thousands) which feels like an irregularity in the air; or by noticing the rash of red welts left behind by their bites. I suppose you can also see them, if the light is right, but again, only when they're in a swarm. Anyway, their bites are the nastiest things, and they're so hard to avoid. They're the worst when you're cycling, because you never see them coming in time to avoid them. Careful hikers and walkers can avoid them.
>
> I think the most interesting thing about them is the effect they have on my father. He has no allergies that we know of, but when he gets sandfly bites, it is BAD. Deep red rashes, swelling, terrible itch... Anyway, they seem to be somewhat cyclic, and the first summer my family lived in Medicine Hat, they were particularly bad. Since then, though, my dad has been able to enjoy his long walks with his rottweiler again.
>
> D"Done rambling now"on

I don't know the particular breed of sandflies we have here, but the Fiordland ones are renowned. The National Geographic article gave a shortened version of this Maori story of their creation.

Apparently after the Fiordland region was created, the goddess of the underworld, Hine-Nui-O-Te-Po, got annoyed because it was too beautiful, and she thought that when people came to live there, they would never want to die and then she wouldn't have anything to do. So she created the sandflies, to encourage Fiordland people to think life isn't *that* great after all. ;-)

Captain Cook described them as "small black flies, which are very numerous, and so troublesome that they exceed everything of the kind I have ever met with."

My personal favourite sandfly reference, though, is the following glorious statement. It was carved on a wayside marker set up by an unknown 19th century traveller in the South Island. I'm quoting this from memory so it might not be word-perfect:

" **** Fiordland,
**** the track,
**** the sandflies there and back,
**** the rivers and **** the weather,
**** New Zealand altogether."

Brunnen-"of course, travel was a bit more difficult in those days"G