We packed up and had breakfast in the kitchen area and were caught by the cleaner who proceeded to tell us her entertaining life story and then showed us around her caravan on site.  After extracting ourselves, we set off for Manapouri just as the rain started. There were dark clouds everywhere, especially along the coast. We were headed initially along the coast and were soon in heavy rainfall. Some pictures of the sea were taken to show the lack of visibility.

Stopped at a fuel station not far after we headed off. This was the first one where someone came out and filled the tank for us. When I paid she asked what we had seen, when I mentioned Dunedin the conversation immediately went to Ed Sheeran, a fan I think.

We had several stopping points en route, most were in the driving rain and got ignored. When we headed North the weather improved. This was fleeting as the bad weather soon caught up with us. It did give us a chance to see the Clifden Suspension Bridge before the rain.

We reach Manapouri, checked where the Real Journeys cruises go from and where we would park. Then it was to find somewhere for coffee, was still to early to check in for a campsite. We found the Manapouri Lakeview Café and Bar, seemingly the only open place in town. Started off with a coffee, then a beer and lunch. Back to the campsite next door and checked in. The campsite has a collection of Morris Minors and other vintage rusty cars.

In between the showers we did manage a quick walk down to the lake beach. Most of the afternoon was spent editing and posting some pictures onto the blog

Dinner was back at the Lakeview Café for some wine. Beers and soups. Hope tomorrow’s weather is better for our cruise.