Most people get the 3 hour ferry from the north to the south island. However we got a bargain flight with our YHA membership which was cheaper and only took 25mins. We were on a little plane with 10 seats got a bit of a fright as we came into land, as we hit an air pocket and dropped suddenly. We then got our next hire car, which once again was a lovely old banger. We set off and got all of 5 mins down the road when lots of banging came from underneath. We turned back and demanded another car, as the exhaust was hanging off! We got a nice hyundai accent instead which is very nippy! We drove along the coast from picton to Abel Tasman National Park. This was like paradise, gorgeous deserted beaches with crystal clear warm water. We took a boat trip up the coast and got to see even more desert island beaches surrounded by rainforest. We came across an island with NZ fur seals basking in the sun on the rocks. We got off the boat at a couple of beaches for a paddle. At night Jill tucked into her favourite NZ lamb, very nice.