An 18 year old German tourist has appeared in court in Nelson this morning to admit a charge of careless driving after a crash on the West Coast.

Moritz Horsch stopped to take a photo north of Greymouth - and when he returned to the highway he reverted to European style driving, crashing head on with a 77-year-old woman driving in the opposite direction..

She suffered three broken ribs.

His case has been stood down until April for a reparations report.