Westport

Leaving Kaiteriteri going south towards the west coast of the south island we headed for one of the most beautiful and scenic coastal drives in the world, as rated by Lonely Planet. We were in for a long drive only interrupted by a few stops and walks along the way.

In the late afternoon we rolled into Westport a small coal mining city and the first city on the sparsely populated west coast. We crashed at the Bazils hostel a very laid back place that I would have liked to stay a night longer, but it wasn't meant to be.. Instead the bus driver organized a big bonfire on the beach complete with hotplate, guitar and a few beers! The roaring fire attracted a few locals and I had a chat with a guy called Matt that worked as a mechanic at the local mine. We discovered we had a mutual interest in WW2 tanks and airplanes and I was recommended to visit a few museums around Wanaka, a stop coming a little further down the road. 

Heading back from the beach we were dropped of at the local pub where more locals were eager to chat about everything from fishing to the impact of the strong New Zealand $ on coal export.