Coast clear for epic journey | Hawkes Bay News | Local News in Hawkes Bay

The most common reaction Alex Asher gets is: "You're bloody crazy but I love it."

The Auckland man is running 40 to 50km a day for 10 weeks, enduring "dive-bombing" seagulls, never-ending hills, rain and the Hawke's Bay heat.

He has been running the Bay coastline, or as close as practical, this week as part of his epic run circumnavigating the east coast of the North Island from Cape Reinga to Cook Strait.

His journey began on December 1 and on Tuesday the 26-year-old was on day 49 of his 2400km marathon, running from Nuhaka to Ohinepaka.

By yesterday he had reached Clifton Beach and today was taking a well-earned rest.

Mr Asher expected to finish in Wellington after 10 weeks on the road.

An injury in the second week encouraged him to swim parts of the course and, despite the jellyfish in the Bay of Plenty, he had so far swam 65km.

He said his body was holding up: "I always have a few aches and pains but the fundamentals are healthy. The feet still look like feet."

Some he had met on the way jokingly told him they were not so certain about his state of mind.

But mental stamina seemed to be the least of his problems. While some days were a struggle, mostly it was "just awesome".

He was kept motivated by stunning scenery, his support crew and the people he met on the way.

They included Maori communities who shared freshly-caught kina, "cool beekeepers by the Mohaka River" and some forestry blokes on Wednesday who thought he was crazy but wished him luck anyway.

Mr Asher took on the journey to raise money and awareness about the need to protect New Zealand's coastline.

"I am running to inspire New Zealanders to be proactive and protect our fragile coastline and oceans from unsustainable fishing, pollution and plastic," he said.

Mr Asher frequently picked up rubbish along his run, but his main focus was raising money for Sustainable Coastlines and New Zealand Forest and Bird.

To make a donation, visit www.capetostrait.org.nz