Gone_away has indicated that this thread is about New Zealand
I would be starting my first trip alone to NZ in April and I am concerned if there are any safety issues to bringing valuable stuff like my DSLR and laptop.
Probably less than there are with using them at home, regardless of where in the world home is for you. New Zealand is a comparatively crime-free country. Obviously you shouldn't be flaunting your possession of expensive laptop and DSLR extensively, and then leaving them in full view in a dorm room while you go out for the day, but if you just use common sense you shouldn't have any cause to worry about them. (And hell, there's places in New Zealand where I've left my laptop by itself in hostels' lounges for extended periods of time, without a single worry about it being nicked. Wouldn't quite recommend doing that frequently, but still.)
Also, what's the point of having a laptop and DSLR if you're afraid to take them with you and use them for their intended purpose? They're tools; make sure you have good insurance (covering electronic items to a high amount), and then use them, rather than leaving them at home to be coddled with lack of use. *g*
Also, I have always kept my lenses and DSLR in the dry cabinet, in these 6 months of WHV how should I be keeping them so as to prevent fungus from growing?
Take a small bag of silica gel and keep that in the camera bag with the lenses. Though even without you should be fine; humidity is unlikely to be bad enough for this to be a real worry. (It's New Zealand, not South East Asia during the monsoon period.)
I would be starting my first trip alone to NZ in April and I am concerned if there are any safety issues to bringing valuable stuff like my DSLR and laptop.
Probably less than there are with using them at home, regardless of where in the world home is for you. New Zealand is a comparatively crime-free country. Obviously you shouldn't be flaunting your possession of expensive laptop and DSLR extensively, and then leaving them in full view in a dorm room while you go out for the day, but if you just use common sense you shouldn't have any cause to worry about them. (And hell, there's places in New Zealand where I've left my laptop by itself in hostels' lounges for extended periods of time, without a single worry about it being nicked. Wouldn't quite recommend doing that frequently, but still.)
Also, what's the point of having a laptop and DSLR if you're afraid to take them with you and use them for their intended purpose? They're tools; make sure you have good insurance (covering electronic items to a high amount), and then use them, rather than leaving them at home to be coddled with lack of use. *g*Also, I have always kept my lenses and DSLR in the dry cabinet, in these 6 months of WHV how should I be keeping them so as to prevent fungus from growing?
Take a small bag of silica gel and keep that in the camera bag with the lenses. Though even without you should be fine; humidity is unlikely to be bad enough for this to be a real worry. (It's New Zealand, not South East Asia during the monsoon period.)
I hate to burst your bubble sander, but New Zealand is a crime riddled as any country. Its the only country in my tow year travel that I was robbed in. Had a expensive jacket stolen in a youth hostel. Admittedly Im pretty sure it was the English bloke in the bunk next to me, but I also met some Australians that were traveling in a campervan. They went off mountain biking for a few hours leaving the van locked in a parking lot, to come back and find the thing broken into and everything gone, lap top DSLR with all their pictures. There's reports all the time of break ins in parking lots to campervans.
So Gone_away, of course bring your gear, but just be as cautious, and use common sense as you would in any other place.
Be careful and always have insurance.
The poor economy has led to a massive increase in crime. It used to be that the average Kiwi can leave their doors unlocked while they go to the supermarket but this is no longer the case. House break-ins is the #1 crime at present and vehicle theft is #2. There's also news reports about tourists being robbed at knife/gun point and sometimes raped while camping in their campervans. It's quite distressing to think about it but I'd imagine it is the same throughout the world at present.
I do find that youth hostels are relatively safe though (obviously there's always exceptions as so many people pass thru them each day). Whenever possible I would carry my valuables with me all the time but I see people leaving their cameras and laptops lying around everywhere. If I had to leave my things in the hostel I'll put them away from view.
NZ is relatively dry in her climate and you wouldn't need to worry about fungus on lenses and humidity-damaged electronics (well, maybe in Auckland...). A zip-lock bag with sillica gel is a good idea, that's essentially a portable flexible dry-box but I wouldn't think it's an issue even if you were to do away with it.
Theft from vehicles is rife in New Zealand - never leave your valuables in a car in a car park here. However, as Sander says, NZ is still a relatively crime- free country and violent crimes against tourists are rare. Theft is a potential threat anywhere in the world though, so it pays to be vigilant and careful with your valuables as you would be anywhere else.
Damp dwellings are a big problem in NZ; in my last place I would often find mould on my belongings and that was with a dehumidifier running most of the time. Some places are worse than others though and you should be able to smell if a place is damp as soon as you walk into it.
[ 17-Feb-2010, at 23:25 by bex76 ]
Hey guys,
Thanks for your advices!
The silica gel in zip lock bags is a good idea! I was not thinking out of the box and was thinking of using plastic containers for storage... haha!
Humidity wise, I guess areas with lakes and seasides would have this problem ya?
It is scary to hear stories about thefts, robberies and rapes.. we got to be on our toes and be vigilant at all times... So I guess I only can just keep things out of view and locked...
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