Our first stop on the West Coast of the South Island was Kaiterteri which translated from Maori means literally 'run very fast with food'. Kaiteriteri was a very small village located next to the Abel Tasman national park which has beautiful golden beaches caused by an increased iron content in the rocks. The whole west coast has a jagged outline and resembled some parts of the great ocean road to me.
Westport was our next stop on the was down which was more of an overnight stop to break up the journey but we managed to have a campfire on the beach and roast marshmallows before we left in the morning. On our drive to Franz Josef we stopped by the 'pncake rocks' formed by the sea eroding away at the rock and causing it to form pancake like stacks going up in the air.
Franz Josef was our last stop on the coast line and by far the most notable because of the Franz Josef and Fox glaciers. These glaciers are special because of how close they are to the coastline and how visibly fast they are receding. As we drive into Franz Josef it used to be possible to see the Franz glacier on our way into town 3 years ago but now there's no possible way to see it. I went on a long walk here to go see the glacier which was situated in a massive valley that was carved out by the glacier which has now receded well up the mountain.
The Kiwi bus is now going inland to the ski resorts of wanaka and the famous Queenstown, looking forward to the next leg!