Southern Discoveries General Manager John Robson said that Lady of the Sounds was surplus to the requirements of their Milford operations.
“Southern Discoveries has been operating three vessels in Milford Sound since 2011 following the Christchurch and Japanese earthquakes and their associated effects on the inbound wholesale market.
“We have found that with our Encounter small boat and two catamarans we are still meeting and exceeding the needs of both our FIT and wholesale customers.”
Lady of the Sounds is a 24-year-old catamaran that has been sitting in Milford Sound largely unused for the past three years.
Cruising Milford Ltd has held a consent issued by the Environment Court five years ago to operate a second vessel, but had not previously exercised that right.
“We were aware that they had been actively looking at vessels so it was inevitable that they would bring a similar type of vessel into Milford Sound,” said Mr Robson.
Mr Robson said Southern Discoveries’ Milford Sound timetable would not change from the last three years, and its popular Discover More and Encounter products were still available, offering the widest range of trips and experiences in the Sound.
Southern Discoveries operates the Milford Discovery Centre & Underwater Observatory, Blue Duck Bar & Café, Go Milford Coach & Cruise, Queenstown Explorer and three information centres in Queenstown and Te Anau. It is also launching new tourism and C&I product into the Queenstown market in late 2013.
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