Dylan du Ross, from Hawke’s Bay, is sharing his travel experiences around New Zealand.

Crack! I let out a sigh. How have I managed this? I have to be the only person in the world that has come to the Abel Tasman water taxi port, gone to the loo, and come out with raw egg all over my underwear.

Food at my accommodation was lacking, so an egg was the only option as a quick snack before the hike. But, no one wants to see anyone eat raw egg, particularly from its shell.

So, in a rushed decision, I went for it. Stupidly, my trousers were down and the result could not have been more disastrous. Everywhere I sat from that point left wet egg remains. It'd be very embarrassing if anyone noticed. Luckily, I don't think anyone did.

So it was time to hop on board the water taxi. We planned to go as far as we could away from the car park, just so we can walk back. It cost $40 pp to get to Torrent Bay, a beach that's 18kms from our car. Side trips would probably take that number to around 22km. A young boy riding a tractor dropped the boat into the ocean. When I was that age I was playing "go home stay home" at Frimley Park, heck, I'd still do that now.

Before Torrent Bay, the captain showed us some seals, another beach, and then split apple rock. Maori legend says this rock used to be a toy for two giants who wanted to keep the rock for themselves. Eventually, during a conflict, the rock was dropped and split in half. I like this version much more than water freezing inside a crevasse, thus expanding and splitting the rock.

Our boat nears the beautiful Torrent Bay, the nature of the beach formation meant we had to wade through 15m of water to get to shore. One man in jeans just went for it, completely soaking his trousers for whatever he was doing for the rest of the day. I still wonder to this day why he didn't just roll them up. Upon arrival, a drip of Hummus fell on to my calf. Of course this meant my lunch had been leaking the whole time, soaking my bag and all its contents. What was happening to me? I was slowly becoming an egg salad.

A weka walks past. A few French tourists were excited and asked if it was Kiwi, rookies. As we continued down the track, Abel Tasman's similarity to a tropical island increased. Sultry sun, fresh air, the taste of salt water trickling down your throat, and most of all, stunning white beaches with condos at the head of any sand. Although, this didn't cost me $800, just a bit of pride and gas money.

My chafing started kicking in on our side trip to Cleopatra Pools, and despite rising down a natural rock slide in very cold water, it didn't stop. It got to a point where I had been penguin walking for so long, Maggie and my other friend presumed it was just how I walked, and that they had simply never noticed before. Looking back, it was amazing that not a single complaint was made.

A long walk through some Punga dominated forested revealed a sign saying there was only 3kms to go. We were thrilled, despite how astonishing Abel Tasman was, the thought of some $5 Domino's pizza was mesmerising. We rushed the last section and made it back to our car. It's funny how at that time we were eager to leave, but right now I'd really love to be back. I couldn't imagine how fun spending a summer in Abel Tasman would be.

Maybe instead of flying to Fiji, I might just come here.

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• Lifestyle