With the cruise booked (that sounds so posh!) We had a few days to hang around and drive ourseleves to Manipouri. So we headed up to Glenorchy for a night and then back along the entire length of the lake to Kingston. Bumping into the Kingston Flyer, the old steam train, along the way. Then on to Manipouri to join the overnight cruise. The weather report was not brilliant and infact the mercury had already dropped a few degrees already and there was snow forecasted!

The cruise of Doubtful Sound envolved a lake cruise to the other side of one lake, then a bus ride over a pass to Deep Cove where we joined the actual cruise boat itself, the Fiordland Navigator. The boat was excellent with about 70 people on board it was the right size to meet people but not too big. We had a ball through the entire time including a trip in canoes along one of the bays and looking at seals and one of Ellies highlights seeing the dolphins playing in the wake of the boat even if it was short lived and just as we sat down for dinner!

The boat moored up for the night in a sheltered bay and then at 7am we were sailing again, the captains call was a little early for the children! We cruised throughout the sounds and even stopping at the head of one of the arms (cove) and killing the engines standing still out on the deck among the showers and cold winds listen to the sounds of nature, a very memrable moment.

Then in no time at all we were back at deep cove to catch the bus back over the pass with snow falling. So it was a real thrill and a wonderful time especially with meeting others people from all over. Even AL admitted it was worth it, oh and I forget to mention that we even got upgraded from cattle class to 2 ensuite cabins! My father would be most proud!

With the weather fairly bad we decided not to head up to Milford Sound but to make a turn for the most Southernly point instead.