Wildlife

Unlike New Zealand’s big neighbour to the west (Australia), very few creepy crawlies inhabit these islands. No poisonous insects (or plants), no venomous snakes or lizards. There are a few really big cricket-like creatures called wetas, but they are usually found only in cave settings. Only one spider is really poisonous, but that variety is generally limited to the North Island.

However, it is still a little unnerving when one sits down to, for example, sew a button back on a son’s uniform and a huge spider (the size of a black widow) runs out of the shorts!!! Of course I flung the shorts off my lap and shrieked. I then realised I needed to find the spider so that it could be properly returned to the wild. I found it scurrying across the carpet and hollered for someone to get me a glass.

From behind the relative safety of a glass barrier, we were able to examine our visitor and determine that it was an Australian Ground Spider. As described in our copy of “The Life-Size Guide to Insects and Other Land Invertebrates of New Zealand,” it is common (!) in homes and gardens. “With its orange legs, it runs around during the day at amazing speed, waving its front two legs ... moving like a clockwork toy out of control.” Yep, that’s what it did inside the glass. Only when it was trying to run along the bottom of the glass, upside down, did it fall off. I let one of my big strong men transfer it to the outside. William took it outside for me, or at least he says he did....