We had a couple of hours to spend yesterday morning and so drove back to Te Anau to fill the car with petrol and check out the visitors centre which had a nice display and showed a film about Fiordland and conservation.

Then it was time to go back to Manapouri and start our Doubtful Sound Overnight Cruise.

We started the trip on a smallish ferry, taking 45 minutes to cross Lake Manapouri with a bit of commentary along the way.

Then came a 60 minute bus drive over Wilmott Pass. We had a great bus driver called Alan who gave a talk along the way about the history of the area, the road, the power station, the trees, the waterfalls and just about everything. Simple as it sounds, this bus trip was one of the highlights.

At the end of the bus trip we arrived in Deep Cove on Doubtful Sound and boarded the Fiordland Navigator. I am not sure exactly how you describe the boat, except to say it has multiple levels, is motorised but has some sails too. Check out the photos for some pictures.

We had a safety briefing in the main saloon and were then shown to our cabins. We were in a cabin with bunk beds and shared bathrooms/toilets. Cute and cosy!

The boat headed away from Deep Cove into the fiord and we had a mix of commentary from the captain (Dave) and the nature advisor (Nick). Very interesting and informative. Again unique and outstanding scenery, a little hampered by the constant rain, but enhanced in that there were many more waterfalls. I never knew this, but apparently when the water remains in contact down the rock face, it is called a cascade and compared with a waterfall which falls over the edge. The rain made it harder to be outside, but we did gear up in our wet weather pants and rain coats and spend some time on the various outside decks enjoying the majesty.

Inside was cosy and warm (almost too warm) and we could sit in the main saloon or the forward observation room. The kids found some board games to play and it was quite relaxing and peaceful. The boat took us out, just into the Tasman Sea, but the winds were very strong in the open sea. Luckily, it was considerably calmer in the fiord and its arms, which we also explored. Before dinner, we had the opportunity to choose between kayaking, going out on a tender boat or staying put on the big boat. Liam and I went on the tender with a young woman who could tell us quite a lot about the various trees we were seeing and gave us a great view back to the big boat. Colin and Emily went out in the kayaks

and seemed to have quite a lot of fun, despite getting pretty wet. In fact, they even took up the option of jumping in for a swim off the back of the boat!

Dinner was an amazing meal with lots of well-prepared local food. I loved the smoked salmon and green lip muscles. Colin and Emily loved the lamb and Indian inspired rice. Liam loved the chocolate mud cake. We were well stuffed by the end of the meal and decided not the go to the slide show but headed off to bed. The boat was moored overnight in Precipice Cove which necessitated a 6.15am start back to Deep Cove.

We had a lovely cooked breakfast and continued our trip around Doubtful Sound, heading into Hall Arm and getting up close with some waterfalls, overhanging rocks, sheer rock face and tree-slip scars.

The Captain and Nick continued their interesting commentary and there was more time out on the decks in the rain. At one point they turned off the engines and generators for about 10 minutes so we could truly appreciate the natural sounds as well as all the sights.

The journey was reversed from Deep Cove. Initial bus trip with Alan as our driver again and even more information and stories. The ferry boat back over Lake Manapouri was a bit rough and windy and so we arrived back in Manapouri itself. Back in the car and just over 3 hours east to Dunedin. It really feels like the holiday is on the down-hill slide. The overnight cruise was so amazing, it would have been a great way to finish the trip. But, we have a few more good things planned and almost another week to enjoy and I am sure we will.