Bedbug an infection shuts DOC Nice Stroll hut on Stewart Island

travel

April 20, 2021, 7:32 p.m.3 minutes to read

Trampers on one of New Zealand’s “Great Walks” reported bites through February and March. Photo / Getty Images

DOC said it will close one of its Great Walk huts next month to clean up a rugged bedbug infestation.

Stewart Island’s backcountry cabins were having their busiest season, however, there were some unwanted guests checking in with hikers.

Hikers returning from the Rakiura Track complained of bites and itchy sores on the Stewart Island Great Walk after staying at the DOC facilities.

Bedbug infestation was found in the North Arm Hut. DOC said it first heard reports of a bedbug problem in February and called in fumigation experts to treat the hut. They’ve treated the hut five times this season, said Ren Leppens, DOC’s Rakiura operations manager.

“Over Easter we received a few reports about bed bugs that somehow missed the eviction notice,” says Leppens.

As an additional precautionary measure, the hut will be closed for bookings at the end of May, undressed and completely re-lined.

The scenic 24-story cabin on Patterson Inlet was recently featured in the Herald’s 14 Most Beautiful Backcountry Cottages. Bug warnings on the website didn’t put hikers off as the cabin reveals it is fully booked for $ 22 a night for the first two weeks of May.

“Bed bugs are usually not a problem on the island – we usually get reports of small infestations every 4 to 5 years,” Leppens said. “They are master matchmakers and with the huge increase in visitors to the island this year, it would be impossible to trace the source of the infestation.”

The beetles arrive with hikers and can just as easily be left in the lining of sleeping bags and clothes.

Siobahn, a teacher from Auckland, was out on the track with her father in early March when she came out with a bite on her left arm.

On the subject of matching items

The “painful” bites lingered for days and “in our opinion affected the rakiura as a great walk” after recently completing other multi-day hikes without incident.

“DOC was really proactive,” said Siobahn. “We were warned in advance by email and before the start of the track, so I can’t blame them at all.”

“We booked earlier in the year and when they told us about the problem in February we thought they would have sorted it out safely by then.”

DOC insists that they have not spread to other huts on the island and that this is not a reflection of the sanitation of the huts of those who use them.

Hikers booking into the cabin have been advised of the bedbugs problem and the Oban Visitor Center staff will also keep hikers informed.

The Department of Health advises that bedbug bites usually do not pose a health risk, but their severity ranges from a sand fly-like bite to a painful red swelling.

“On very rare occasions, people can have a severe allergic reaction,” says the Public Health Council.

Usually, bites can take a few days to show, making it difficult to stop the spread.

The bugs are known to be difficult to kill and live in dark, dry places, advises the Ministry of Health. You should wash sleeping bags and clothes at high temperatures to avoid insects coming home.