TRAVEL BOOKS
KEY POINTS:
If everyone in this fair land isn't out walking the wilderness trails it certainly isn't the fault of our publishers. In the past year or two there's been an absolute torrent of books about where to walk, how to walk and why to walk. Here's a few of the most recent:
Day Walks of Nelson, by Ian Trafford (Reed, $19.99) and Day Walks of Marlborough, Marios Galvas (Reed, $19.99) are the latest in a Reed series which by now must pretty much cover the whole country. They're great for taking with you if you're making a trip to, say, Nelson or Marlborough and feel like stretching your legs.
Excellent Short Walks in the South Island, by Peter Janssen (New Holland, $29.99) limits itself to walks that can be done by the average punter in a couple of hours and covers the whole South Island.
Don't Forget Your Scroggin, by Sarah Bennett and Lee Slater (Craig Potton Publishing, $24.99), is a detailed handbook on how to go about tramping, with sound advice on gear, safety and tramping etiquette . . . not to mention an explanation of what scroggin actually is.
Inside New Zealand's National Parks, by Eric Dorfman (Penguin, $49.95) is an outstanding guide to our 14 national parks, including day walks and serious tramps, illustrated by lots of glorious photos. It's too big to actually take on a walk but it should certainly provide plenty of inspiration.
New Zealand: spirit of the land, by Judith Holtebrinck and David Sullivan (Look Around Design, $49.99) has 119 pages of great landscapes from the coast to the mountains and from the bush to the rolling farmland.
Landmarks of Fiordland, Southland and Stewart Island/Raikura, by Marios Galvas (Reed, $29.99) is a fine guide to the glorious far south, past and present, and would be a great companion on a holiday.
TRAVEL GADGETS
Luggage locks
Safe Skies offers a range of tough luggage locks which conform to new security rules allowing the authorities to open them to inspect bags (without having to cut the lock off) but showing travellers when that has happened.
The one they sent me to try was a key lock, promoted on the basis that there was "no combination to remember", but I was actually more nervous I might misplace the key (most of their locks do have combinations).
It was very solid, had a rubber coating, looked much stronger than the combination lock I usually use and survived two trips without a scratch. No wonder there's a lifetime warranty.
The lock was also one of a new series with a serial number registered with BoomerangIt, a lost and found company, so if your bag gets lost and the labels are torn off it can be returned.
These are impressive locks and unlikely to be bent out of shape by the baggage handlers as my previous lock was. At present you can only buy them via www.safeskieslocks.com where the one sent to me would cost a very reasonable $17.50 but with a shipping charge of around $20.
Mosquito relief
Mosquito bites can be the curse of a trip to the tropics - or the West Coast - especially if you're as sensitive to their bites as my wife.
After reading about her problems, Joce Gray from Tauranga sent a note suggesting she try colloidal silver gel as a remedy. "I too am highly allergic to mosquito bites. Once bitten they turn into big blisters which then turn into horrible sores. I recently discovered colloidal silver and have been using the gel. The itch stopped immediately and no blisters or sores."
My wife made immediate inquiries, discovered that colloidal silver gel can be bought at most health shops and got a 65ml jar in Devonport for $17.
This is her report: "When applied to a scratched existing bite the gel seemed ineffective, but when applied immediately to a new bite the itching and blister disappeared within 10 minutes. Oh joy, oh bliss!
"There is a small downside however. On the following morning the bites became re-activated, but subsided again after an application. So this experiment could go on for some time.
"Still, there's plenty in the jar so provided it doesn't lose its potency it should last for a couple of years. Some of it may travel with me to mosquito-ridden lands this winter. Thank you Joce."
