The World Harmony Run spread across 70,000km in 100 countries from six continents and has now travelled the road between Mahia and Hastings.
Bay expat Suradhuni Anderson was spotted carrying the torch on State Highway 2 north of Clive on Monday evening. She was just one of the 18 runners who
between them ran for 10 hours.
Yesterday the tour would take them to five local schools to conduct a peace education project, before continuing their journey to Dannevirke.
The 18 runners were part of an inter-changing New Zealand contingent who kicked off the Australasian leg in Christchurch last month and would finish in Wellington tomorrow.
Each runner took turns to carry the torch in 5km bursts, while the others rested their sore leg muscles in teams' three vans.
Miss Anderson had been with the team since it arrived in Auckland on October 25.
She said sponsorship covered much of their nutritional needs, while the generosity of local communities meant they were yet to pay for accommodation.
It was the second time Miss Anderson was inspired to take part after seeing the torch pass through Hastings nine years ago. And despite a few stiff muscles, she was loving the challenge.
The torch symbolised harmony and was travelling the globe in hope of promoting international friendship and understanding. It started in Guatemala in January and was scheduled to finish its global tour in Canberra next month.
