From Tongariro we travelled south, crossing over onto the south island of New Zealand on the Cook Strait ferry from Wellington.

Here we spent another night on live-aboard boat accommodation in Abel Tasman national park, where we were introduced to the joys of the New Zealand sand fly. I kid you not, I am the human equivalent of blue light to all mosquitos and sand flies. As a result of my extreme insect attraction, I ended up leaving the south island with tens of bites, three of which are still shining brightly on my forehead, making me look like my acne-ridden teenage self. These bites happened, of course, on a day where I had covered every inch of my skin except for my face.

Anyway, aside from the sand fly bites, the South Island was my favourite of the two New Zealand islands. This was simply down to the fact that it is completely beautiful. Abel Tasman is one of New Zealand’s many gorgeous national parks, at the northern tip of the South Island.

One of the things that stood out most about Abel Tasman was just how spectacular the night sky was.

My incredibly talented friend, Niz, showed me how to take pictures of the stars.

Our journey away from the national park took us on some beautiful coastline down the west coast, most notably to do the Punakaki Pancake Rock walk.

Spot the seals!