After Abel Tasman we went back to Nelson for a few days to do a spot of shopping and soak up the sun on the beach.

Ever since buying an unusual necklace in Wanaka just before Christmas I'd been looking for a plain black t-shirt to wear with it. I know I'm not the type to wear jewellery but this necklace took my fancy as it was made from the bit you turn on a tap.

Over the last month we'd looked in various shops for a black t-shirt but couldn't find one just right. They either had a pattern or logo in the wrong place or were too expensive. At Lake Tekapo we found a particularly expensive brand called Icebreaker which caught our eye because it was made from 100% Merino wool. After dismissing it totally because of the price tag of around NZ$120 (£45) I looked the brand up on the internet. The company has an interesting history and its early breakthrough came when a New Zealand round the world yachtsman wore one for 43 consecutive days and said it didn't even whiff at the end!

We both became increasingly interested in the product because on our travels we take far too many clothes and want to be able to take less, especially as we plan to do some hard core backpacking next year.

So on our arrival in Nelson we looked up on the internet shops that stock Icebreaker t-shirts to investigate them further.

We found two shops so headed into town - an 8 minute bus ride or in our case an hour's walk along the coastal road. The main shopping area was really nice with hanging baskets full of flowers along the main street and outdoor seating in the cafes and bars.

Lucky for us there was a sale on in both shops. I found the perfect black t-shirt for me in the Icebreaker Superfine Lite 190g range. It has a small leaf pattern in the bottom left corner. Richard chose the thinner Superfine Ultralite 140g which has a quirky linear outline of New Zealand on the front. The latest design of t-shirts also come with a Baacode allowing you to trace online the merino sheep farm that grew the wool.

Pleased with our purchases we had a brief sit by the church to eat our packed lunch, then with no sign of tired legs we decided to walk up a hill to the centre point of New Zealand. I wouldn't describe it as a hill, more like a mountain with the steep gradient in places, and I certainly wouldn't say it's an 'easy walk' like the guidebooks describe it as. From the top you got a good view across Nelson, taking in the docks and surrounding green hills. We were feeling a little tired after the trek back down, so caught the bus back to our campsite.

We were staying again at the Tahuna Holiday Park as we enjoyed an overnight stop there on our way to Abel Tasman.

I'm not saying biggest is best, but this holiday park is the biggest in the Southern Hemisphere - it's a whopping 55 acres. Only a few minutes walk to the beach, but best of all has it's own 18 hole mini golf at $2.50(!) so obviously we had to stay.

It had a very Butlin's feel about it when at 9am every day you'd get woken up with "Morning campers…" on the loudspeaker. It was an advert for the Fun Tractor where kids (and adults) could have a ride in the back of the trailer as it toured the 55 acre site.

I had been hoping to develop my tan, but 3 of the 4 days we were there were a little cloudy. We did however manage to play Frisbee on the beach whilst watching various beginner kite surfers learning to fly a kite.

To my disappointment I lost the two Mini Golf challenges, although I am at a slight handicap as my hand isn't fully better from my fall at Milford Sound. Richard won by 2 shots and 4 holes.

Near the campsite were a few restaurants and bars. So having not gone out for a couple of weeks we decided to splash out. After a couple of beers in two of the bars we went on to a pizza restaurant which had one some awards for its pizzas and had good reviews online. It also sold a local Nelson beer called Bays which is brewed naturally and has no added chemicals, preservatives or sugar. A good evening all round.

Before leaving Nelson on the Saturday we went to the craft market in one of the squares. There was everything from hats to model aeroplanes made of beer cans to massages on offer. It was the hottest day of the year so far. After a morning at the market instead of heading to the beach to cool down, we set off on our journey to the green lipped mussel capital - Havelock.

Katy