Poisonous KaTipo Bites Tip o' Tourist

A Canadian tourist's nude swim and nap at at a New Zealand beach ended badly when he woke with a swollen penis after apparently being bitten by a poisonous spider, a report said last Friday. The 22-year-old man woke from his post-swim nap to find his penis badly swollen and painful and bearing a red mark, according to a report in the New Zealand Medical Journal.

By the time he got to a hospital, a long trip to the far north of the country, his penis was severely swollen, his blood pressure was very high and his heart racing. Chest pains and a multitude of other symptoms developed and it was assumed he had been bitten by a katipo, an uncommon beach-loving spider -- whose bite is sometimes fatal -- which is related to Australia's redback and North America's black widow.
The man was treated with anti-venom and although his condition improved he also suffered from heart inflammation as a result of the venom and required a total of 16 days in hospital before he was well enough to be released. Needless to say he avoided the beach until he got a flight home.
"It was a nasty and very ill-placed bite," said doctor Nigel Harrison of Whangarei Hospital.

So here's a travel tip folks : If you vacation in New Zealand, it's advisable not to fall asleep on the sand unless you are wearing a full body, rubber diving suit, a hard plastic athletic supporter, and erect a tent of mosquito netting around you. Good luck with that.