On holiday with the average NZ family: Barbecue smoke fires campground incident

HUMOUR - By GRAHAM REID


Smoke from an unattended barbecue caused angry scenes at the camping ground near Northland's Kakamoana Beach yesterday afternoon. It has left neighbouring families harbouring simmering resentments which threaten to spoil their holiday.

"We'd just turned on the television to watch the news," said holidaymaker Dudley Tyler, of Pakuranga, "when this foul-smelling smoke came through the window of our caravan.

"I looked out and the neighbours had lit their barbie, which obviously hadn't been cleaned since last season, and just buggered off. There was thick smoke and the smell of stale fat all through our caravan so I dumped a bucket of sand on it and put the bloody thing out."

When the owner of the offending barbecue - Bruce Riley-Thompson, of Howick - returned from a swim there was an angry confrontation which was defused when others called the park management.

Rangi Hunter, for Kakamoana Caravan Park, offered new sites to each of the feuding parties but neither accepted.

"Buggered if I'm budging," said Mr Riley-Thompson. "A little bit of smoke should have been no big deal to him. After all, we had to put up with him listening to Classic Hits radio yesterday afternoon."

Riley-Thompson's 14-year-old daughter Amber, who had earlier expressed doubts about how enjoyable their holiday would be, said last night she, too, thought the argument had been unnecessary.

"But at least it looks like this holiday might not be so stink after all."