Vancouver Island

 The airport on Vancouver Island is north from the main city of Victoria. We went straight to an area called Sidney and spent two days of acclimatisation. Temps in the mid 30C. Surrounded by water, a popular holiday destination with "crabbing" off the pier a popular pastime. Sidney is handy to Butchart Gardens.

We saw an otter frolicking in the water in front of the fountain 

The gardens were started in 1920 in what was a disused quarry. Mrs Butchart diligently converted 55 acres into these famous gardens. Today they have 50 gardeners and thousands of visitors. We admired the efforts but too immaculate for us, our preference being Westonbirt in the UK.

After the gardens called into the butterfly gardens nearby.  

Was incredibly hot, humid in the enclosure but the insects and reptiles flourished. 

A local beach barely used, water was dead flat with some weed. Timber floats up everywhere.

Was quite taken with this expressive sculpture in the main street of Sidney.

We left Sidney and took the inland road to Ucluelet on the south coast of VI. Incredibly it was unsealed for 2 hours, think the Molesworth. Landscape is thousands of hectares of Sitka Spruce, Douglas Fir and the obsequious Sycamore.  Whereas in NZ rural road signs show "wandering stock" being cattle here the pictures are "elk next 65km" or a sign of a logging truck. The island is sustained by logging and fishing - halibut, black cod and salmon in the abundant surrounding sea.

Quite interesting style of house construction

This was called Japan harbour. In 1910 or so 40 Japanese family set up homes and a fishing port becoming part of the community. In 1942 the Govt gave them  one day to leave with one bag and confiscated their boats and homes. The locals were appalled but the govt said they were a threat to the country ala bombing of Pearl Harbour.

Drove on to Campbell River, another fishing town in the north. They drive mammoth vehicles here, Dodge Rams etc. Usually a huge slab of a man fills the drivers seat. Long grey beards are favoured - think ZZ top musicians sans guitars. Very loud and obesity an epidemic. " Don't look Ethel!!" as the song goes.

this mammoth vehicle with a 6.6litre engine just makes our wee squirt Corolla rental seem funny.  A lot of the 4 x 4 are 5.7litre and one wonders how they manoeuvre them, massive.

Were favoured with spotting an eagle at Campbell River.

Next stop was Port Hardy at the Western tip of VI to get the ferry to Prince Rupert on the Mainland the following day. Stayed in this cute cabin at Port Hardy. Next day 5am at the terminal as required. Ferry finally left at 8am for the 16hour journey. 

Wee squirt Corolla

The journey on the Inland Passage

Lanscape all conifers with barely any civilisation other than Bella Bella which exists for logging and fishing. The water seemed to be teaming with fish and a big plus of the trip was seeing several whales both Humpback and Killers.

We passed a barge being towed called the Arctic Titan which leaves Seattle via the Inland Passage to Alaska.  Goes at 10knots loaded with construction material, groceries, household goods and vehicles. Must take days and mind numbing for the tug master.

We thought of friends Pete and Jennie who barged in the Marlborough Sounds.

Arrived in Prince Rupert well after midnight, found our lodgings and crashed. Town is similar to Port Hardy being terminal towns, very low social economic.  Vagrants a common sight going through bins. Fish used to be canned, processed but not anymore so many large empty buildings. We note food prices similar to NZ, fuel roughly NZ$2.20 per litre. Canada also struggling with inflation and issues with Canucks (indigenous population).