Day 12 (7th November) - Abel Tasman National Park

One of the ‘must sees’ on our list, Abel Tasman boasts beautiful golden beaches and clear turquoise waters backed by lush pristine native bush. It didn’t disappoint despite a rather panicked start to the day when we had to catch a much earlier water taxi than planned in order to complete our desired ‘tramp’ (NZ for ‘hike’ and our new adopted word). The sea shuttle picked us up on (a sunny – hoorah!) Kaiteriteri beach, taking us along the coastline as far north as Totaranui before dropping us off on the return loop to Bark Bay at 11.30. We then had until 3pm to march through fabulous forest and over a swing bridge for the return pick-up at Torrent Bay. The tree ferns and native beech trees are huge and lush!

Our pick-up boat nearly beached itself but delivered us back to our campsite where word had gotten round that this campervan fed ducks. Soon we were surrounded by sparrows, blackbirds, thrushes and some very territorial mallards all dancing around our feet for the next crumb. The birds in NZ are exceptionally tame – until the Polynesian and European settlers’ relatively recent introduction of mammals such as rats, rabbits, stoats and possums, the native birdlife had few predators and the likes of kiwi and the (now extinct) moa, became flightless. Children gradually replaced birds (historically as well as outside our van) and we found ourselves in the centre of a football game! Watched the sun set across the bay and chatted to a couple of local families who were fishing on the beach.

Day 11 (6th November)

Today spelt VICTORY! Six years of searching and a journey to the other side of the world finalised Kate’s epic quest for a pair of jeans! Celebrations in Nelson.

A visit to WOW! – museum of the World of WearableArt complemented today’s findings with such delights as the Dali Bra and an automated catwalk of other extraordinary creations. Look up www.worldofwearableart.com for one of the most creative and imaginative exhibits we’ve seen in a long time.

Took an atmospheric, blustery walk along Rabbit Island beach, again just missing the rain, before taking the bendy forested track into Abel Tasman National Park.

Day 10 (5th November) - Nelson

Awoke to sunshine and took a quick march to the top of the view point for magnificent views across the Sounds, complete with rainbow. After breakfast we set out for Nelson.

Nelson has the highest sunshine record for all of New Zealand and also a very high number of British immigrants! There is a thriving art scene here and the Marlborough wine growing region nearby helps to keep those creative juices flowing. We spent the afternoon exploring the cathedral and cute old cottages of South Street; wandered the shops and galleries we discovered Jens Hansen jewellers – the Lord of the Rings ring designer. At the end of the day we set up camp by the beach and took a breezy stroll, getting back just before the rain.

Day 9 (4th November)

The strange clicks and beeps of the native Tui bird woke us this grey, cold morning as we set off to discover the South Island. Took the cheaper (and stinkier) Bluebridge ferry from Wellington to Picton. Couldn’t decide if it was better to endure the lashing rain on deck or the urine stench below. Our favourite announcement: ‘Pissingers needing left axis go to the sickund floor’ finally gave us a breakthrough into understanding the kiwi accent – they’ve got their vowel sounds mixed up! So, after picking our way through the tiny waterways to land in tiny Picton harbour, we drove the windy bendy scenic Queen Charlotte Drive around Marlborough Sounds, finally parking on a viewpoint above Havelock for another night free camping. The weather forecast on our little TV said winds of 140 kph expected but even parking in the most sheltered corner didn’t protect us from the frightening gusts that shook our little home on wheels into the early hours. We were even more spooked when an air raid siren went off in the town below at 1am in the morning! (Turns out it’s how they summon their firemen.)

Day 8 (3rd November)

Spent nearly the whole day in the capital’s Te Papa Museum which is excellent. We learned about the making of these fabulous islands: the movements of the tectonic plates, volcanoes etc. We experienced what it would be like to be in an earthquake, discovered plants and birds we’d never heard of before and got chucked out before having time to finish the massive collection of art. Froze as we braved the chilly winds along the harbour and headed for shelter in the shops. From there, we took the cable car up to the extensive Botanical Gardens but it was so uncomfortably cold we quickly headed back down the hill for a warming curry.

DAY 7 (2nd November)

Awoke to clear skies and sunshine. Gave the town of Wanganui a second chance and were thoroughly impressed with their museum and the Sargant Art Gallery. We ate delicious pasties outside a café whose owner had emigrated from Ireland and was able to afford a farmstead as well as the Celtic pasty shop, before making the long drive to Wellington. The west coastal area here is flat with dramatic seas rolling onto long wide beaches. We took a walk on Foxton beach, collected shells and made footprints in the sand. Booked into a campsite at Lower Hutt, around the bay from Wellington city, as the sun set. Drove back around the bay and treated ourselves to Asian posh nosh at ‘Chow’. Yum! Ahhh but chopsticks here require great skill – wery swippery.

DAY 6 (1st November)

Hooray - got the docs okay to continue on our travels! Drove straight towards 'Mount Doom' from Lord of the Rings in Tongariro National Park planning to do the amazing Tongariro crossing - a 6 hour walk around volcanoes and lakes. However, thick low cloud as well as the manky ankle persuaded us to abandon that idea and after suffering a half lit presentation of volcanoes at the Visitor Centre, we found a better display from nature at Tokaanu. Here we encountered hot water seeping out of the ground and stinking pools of mud plopping and steaming (not unlike Chester’s morning ablutions). We talked to some local Maoris who were clearing a pit in the ground in which to cook their dinner and another woman who was boiling flax in one of the pools in order to make rope. Then we motored south on the Desert Road. It was raining. Foreboding volcanoes invisible. Tsk! A slippery boardwalk at Rankawa Falls stretched our legs and disappointing first impressions of Wanganui moved us beyond the town to spend the night on the shores of a little lake called Wiritoa. We were the only ones in the field and it rained so hard in the night we wondered that the lake might expand to include us!