On route to Westport we stopped at Lake Rotoiti. Rotoiti is a lake in the Tasman region of New Zealand. It is a substantial mountain lake within the borders of Nelson Lakes National Park. The lake is surrounded by Beech forest and is 82 metres deep. We had 45 minutes here to enjoy the beautiful lake which gave us plenary of time to take lots of photographs at the end of the jetty and for those brave enough to jump off into the very cold water to go for a swim.

A great place to kick off our West Coast tour is at the region's oldest town, Westport. With more sunny days than many of New Zealand's major cities, it's and ideal place for outdoor pursuits. Bobbi and I signed up for the horse riding experience however due to the limited number of places we were unlucky and couldn't do it and it was a little too cold to get involved with the surfing lesson.

Bazil's hostel was great as we were given 'the unit' with twelve beds in the dorm it had its own kitchen and lounge area. After taking a trip to the supermarket we were settled the evening watching a film by the log fire.