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26th - 27th May - Lake Mahinapua

Our journey down the West Coast had begun and according to Pam, our driver, the weather was the best she had ever seen (Or in her words it was 'Primo!') We set off from Westport early on in the morning and arrived at Cape Foulwind and Touranga Bay shortly after for a quick walk around the headland, passing by one of the largest seal colonies in New Zealand. Back on the bus we continued on our journey towards Punakaiki. It was here we had another brief stop to walk around the strange rock formations shaped like several layers of pancakes.

Then at Greymouth the real fun began. Tonight we would be staying at Lake Mahinapua and a place known to travelers all over New Zealand as the 'Poo Pub'. It was here that the oldest Publican, Les, lived and he had just recently featured on T.V for still pouring the pints at 82! However, it was a Kiwi bus tradition that each bus holds a fancy dress party at the Poo Pub. Pam had opted for our bus' theme to be bin bags...cheap and simple! So at Greymouth we were let loose on the charity shops and $2 stores in order to find our outfits. I had chosen Superman complete with a red bin bag cape...nice! After the mad dash was complete everyone returned to the bus holding various garments...some of which were slightly disturbing! It would all be revealed later on!

Arriving at Lake Mahinapua early evening we met Les who is a legend! He definitely hasn't lost his sense of humor with age and after a brief introduction on the bus we checked in and ran down to the beach for a perfect sunset. We made a quick dash to the Lake to catch the last of daylight before heading back to the Poo Pub to finalise our costumes. After an amazing all you can eat steak dinner cooked up by Les and Pam we went back to the rooms to get arty with the bin bags. People were running everywhere with every colour of bin bag imaginable...it was definitely going to be a night to remember!

The night was amazing and acted as a great way to bring everyone on the bus together. Some costumes to remember were Charlie Chaplin, The Joker and Rick who had decided to go as a schoolgirl complete with a handmade wig from white bing bag.

The next morning was a hard one but just about everyone managed to drag themselves onto the bus. We were off to Franz Josef!

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