Jucy Cruize Milford Sound, operated by the Jucy Group, already runs Milford Adventurer, a single-hulled cruise boat and the Jucy Group is known for its distinctive purple and green rental cars and camper vans which operate in New Zealand, Australia and the United States. The company also has a hotel in Auckland.
Jucy Cruize Milford Sound general manager Rob Burnell did not name the price but said the purchase was a ''significant investment at a time when the market is not necessarily growing'', but the company was confident it could ''grow the market''.
In a statement yesterday, Southern Discoveries general manager John Robson said the boat was surplus to their Milford Sound operations.
In February, Southern Discoveries announced it had invested in a purpose-built 26m catamaran which would carry passengers from Queenstown to the normally inaccessible Mt Nicholas Station, with the launch scheduled for next summer.
Lady of the Sounds had been sitting in Milford Sound largely unused for the past three-years, yesterday's statement said, and Cruising Milford Sound Ltd - trading as Jucy Cruize Milford Sound - holds a consent to operate a second vessel.
Mr Burnell said the sale would be complete in mid-July. After that, the boat would go through a Jucy makeover, getting green and purple livery.
The catamaran will triple Jucy's passenger capacity on the water.
Mr Burnell said Milford Adventurer passenger numbers were usually kept under 100. The new boat could take at least 200, and had catering facilities.
