Pubdate: Mon, 12 Mar 2007
Source: Herald On Sunday (New Zealand)
Contact:  2007 New Zealand Herald
Website: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4035
Author: Cath Bennett

CANNABIS TREAT FOR UK CASTAWAYS

Contestants on the reality show Castaways are being taken for dopes by
locals on Great Barrier Island.

Cheeky residents have been tossing marijuana seeds into the enclosure
where a new series of the hit BBC show has started filiming.

And crew members are struggling to contain the cannabis plants, which
are blooming in the warm late summer weather.

"Every time they pull one out, a couple of days later they find
another one sprouting up," an islander told Sunday News.

"I think the crew find it quite funny - they have been laughing that
the locals are trying to give the contestants a treat!"

The 12 Castaways arrived on the Hauraki Gulf island on February 28 for
a three-month stay, which is being filmed by the BBC and will also
show on TVNZ.

Among the contestants are lap dancer Erica Hurst, Jason Ross, a
recovering drug addict, mum-of-four Wendie Mitchell, and Kenneth Rose,
65, a former Royal Marine.

Billed as a "social experiment with a purpose" the series follows the
diverse group as they strike out for themselves.

Cast members were reportedly told the island was inhabited in the
past, but the residents have mysteriously disappeared.

"Apparently they are going to be self-sufficient - they're having
chickens delivered and they have to decide whether to eat them or use
them for eggs," said our source.

"They'll also have to do a bit of agricultural work - but maybe not
with cannabis plants!"

The biggest challenge for the Castaways -and the crew - is likely to
be the rats who are in abundance on the island.

They have already made a nuisance of themselves chewing through vital
cables and the area is now littered with rat traps.

Programme makers have been paranoid about security and secrecy since
their arrival on the island, making many locals and tourists sign
confidentiality agreements.

They are based on a secluded coastal site at Harataonga Bay, where
contestants are living in quaint wooden huts on a stretch of land that
features a swamp full of eels.

Crew have been begging fishermen and tourists on the water to keep
away from the area - offering beer, wine and cash as an incentive to
take their boats elsewhere.

But on Friday a couple of technicians were actually helped by
fishermen. "They were out in a dingy and it suddenly shot up in the
air, flipped backwards and went upside-down," said the boatie, who
didn't want to be named.

"I notified marine radio and went to see if I could help. They were
fine but I think they lost a lot of equipment - there were oars,
cellphones and all-sorts floating in the water."

Most locals have been delighted by the arrival of the film crew due to
the boost it has given to the local economy. Pubs, restaurants and
accommodation have been packed.

"The whole island has been busy as there are many more people floating
around," said Margery Harris, owner of Tipi & Bob's Waterfront Lodge.
"We've noticed a big increase in sales of food." The Castaway bosses
have also offered jobs to locals, mostly in security and catering.

A previously unemployed dad-of-four is now reportedly earning $1000 a
week delivering the schedules and scripts to the crew at 7 o'clock
each morning.

"We actually need this on the island - the average income is $23,000
and we are hoping it might trickle down and improve that," said one
resident.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Derek