After a relaxing morning strolling along the coast path, I hopped back on to the bus at 12.30pm to continue my journey down the West Coast. I am now on to my third different driver and there are about 27 of us on the bus. They seem to be a really nice group of people, which is lucky as I'll be spending the next few days with them!

We stopped at a café in Murchison famous for it's delicious ice cream - 'Hokey Cokey' being the traditional New Zealand favourite! Other than that, it was a straightforward but scenic drive along side the Buller River and we arrived in Westport at Bazil's Hostel around 5pm. By then, I was desperate to stretch my legs so I asked for some route advice from the hostel Owner and away I went!

Westport seems to be a fairly run down town and a couple of the pubs are quite a dive from what I can gather, but it was interesting to visit nonetheless. I ran along a winding mountain bike track through the trees and back along the beach. The coastline is beautifully rugged around here and the waves are pretty big. I also ran back past the hostel to a track along side the Buller River.

The weather is still great - sunshine and blue skies, perfect for an evening run. I even made the most of a nearby supermarket and a kitchen all to myself to actually bother to cook myself a decent meal!