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My most memorable trip to British Columbia was during the summer of 2014, when I visited Tofino.

We started our trip with the familiar streets of Vancouver. We toured the city (on bicycle, of course) stopping to admire the old buildings of the university, to take a dip in the ocean, and to grab a bite to eat at the street food festival down one of the main strips. Our evenings were spent jumping between pizzerias and hipster bars, stopping only once we made it home, where we sipped cocktails with fresh mint grown on our friend’s outdoor patio.

Soon we decided to get out of the city. Here in Toronto, 'getting out of the city' means driving on a highway for hours. In BC, however, you're never more than an hour away from a mountain or beautiful seashore. We drove for 40 minutes to Squamish, along the Sea to Sky Highway (which goes on towards the world famous Whistler Mountain). Squamish is another popular hiking destination, and from here, we ascended 2,297 feet (700 meters) up to the three peaks of the Stawamus Chief mountain side. It was a grueling hike, but definitely worth the views from the top. (Luckily, you can buy a one-way ticket on the gondola to get back down.)

After saying goodbye to our mainland friends, and two ferry rides later, we arrived at beautiful Gabriola Island. Gabriola is one of those places you feel privileged to visit. This pristine island is only 57 square km (22 square miles) of land and has only 4,000 residents - all of whom seem to know one another by name. At sunrise, we'd head out to spot deer, eagles, and otters, which are all native to the island. Then we explored the petroglyph caves, went kayaking alongside giant seals, and hitchhiked back home in time to stop at a garage sale and have dinner, which is always shared at a big table with neighbours and friends.

I wasn’t sure whether, given everything we had seen so far, Tofino could live up to the expectations set by my husband. It did.

Tofino is a small town on the tip of Vancouver Island. It juts out over the Pacific Ocean, making it the perfect place to go whale watching, surfing, kayaking, or any other water sport you can think of. It's riddled with beaches and surrounded by hiking trails and hot springs.

The sound of the ocean, which was steps from our bedroom, soothed us to sleep every night. By morning, the tide would be out so far that we’d walk for miles along sand, normally covered by the sea, but now revealing colourful barnacles, shells, starfish, and hermit crabs. In fact, it was during one of those walks that my husband (who was not yet my husband) proposed.

Our days were spent surfing or hiking or exploring the town, where we’d get fresh oysters and smoked fish. Our nights were spent having bonfires on the beach, while stargazing and sitting, mostly in silence, in awe of the world.

My husband’s hyperbole about not living until having seen Tofino was meant in jest, but it had an element of sincerity I now understand. This was one of my favourite vacations, not just Tofino but the whole region. And we talk often, my husband and I, about making that trip again.


By Audra Fediurek, Director, Business Process & Strategy at HZA

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