Doubtful Sound overnight cruise.

Yesterday we boarded a boat in Manipourri and went across a lake (50 min) to catch a bus on an island that drove us through a rain forest to get to a dock (1 hour) where we would board a large sailboat ( a Ketch) for an overnight cruise to Doubtful Sound that is actually a fiord carved by the glaciers.  It was an awesome trip!  We motored 90% of the time but put up the sails when we reached the Tasman Sea. We were lucky and had beautiful sunny weather. Then the boat turned around and headed back into the fiord to find a quiet bay to moor for the night. We were the only boat in the area.

Then People had the choice the to take out in single kayaks or go out with a nature guide in the speedboat. Sam went out in a single kayak and I did the boat ride since I would have just paddled in a circle with my one hand. It was early evening  and Everyone was eaten up by sand flies. Ugh. Not so fun.

There were 70 people on the 110 meter boat. We started chatting with two couples early in the trip & ended up sitting with them for all the meals. In the picture, you can see from left: Nicki (psychologist from Scotland) married to Stephen ( British businessman), Annie (Utah psych nurse) married to Don (Utah psychiatrist ). We made a pact that nobody could talk about their life problems! It was a lot of laughs.

At one point in the trip, the captain shut down all the engines and generators so that we could appreciate the quiet and rainforest sounds in the fiord. I think that was my favorite part--utter quiet and peace. We are truly blessed to be in New Zealand.