I went about making a new episode full of the most disturbing camping trip encounters you could

imagine, but it almost turned into an episode about Australia. But don't worry, no matter where you

are now, if you go camping, you're bound to find something terrifying that's dying to chew on you.

Welcome back to Unexplained Encounters. I'm your host, Darkness prevails, and you can

follow me on Twitter at Dark prevails, as we discuss what a hellhound is supposed to look like.

Enjoy these allegedly true camping trip horror stories, and be sure to send me your scary

stories of the Unexplained at darkstories.org. For more horrifying podcasts like this,

go to eeriecast.com. You can even shop our store there, where we've got a super neat

win-to-go coffee mug. I promise it won't make your coffee taste like human.

Now, let's begin.

Warning. The following story contains depictions of violence against animals.

I thought New Zealand was a safe place to go camping. From itchy wool pants.

New Zealand is an incredibly beautiful place, especially if you're interested in outdoor

activities, such as camping or hiking. And while I don't enjoy living there, I love the scenery

and natural beauty of these islands. You see, I'm Australian, but I've spent most of my life in New

Zealand. The wildlife is incredibly tame compared to Australia. There's nothing here at all that's

really dangerous. A brief history. Prior to the arrival of the Maori, some 600 to 800 years ago,

the islands were dominated by birds, plants, and insects, with the only mammals being two species

of bats. The ghosts of Gondwana, as they say, due to the millions of years of isolation.

The Maori brought with them pigs, rats, and dogs. The Europeans brought the rest of the mammals

found here, and they introduced a heck of a lot of plants and birds, too.

So, overall, the risk of attacks by any type of animal while camping is essentially zero.

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