British Columbia Trip Part 3 (Upper BC)

Day 9 after a relaxing evening in the top floor apartment of the Delta lodge in Whistler we awoke to another blue sky day. We decided to take the Peak to Peak gondola up Whistler Mountain which hosted the 2010 Winter Olympics. The photos will speak for themselves about how beautiful it was on top!  After our amazing morning, we jumped back into Rangi for a 9 hour journey through desolate mountain passes and Indian Reserves to Quesnel. 

Day 10 We packed down the tent in record time to escape the sandflies, all the while Whitetail deer were grazing next to us.  Today we headed to Prince George (the Northernmost point in our trip).  Prince George was nothing spectacular but we did find a few nice beers and bevvys to enjoy by our tent.  The evening turned into quite a ruccous with 2 weddings and Canada's version of outrageous fortune all in the one camping ground.

Day 11 We left the campground early on and headed towards Jasper.  Along the way we discovered a natural rainforest- so we broke up our trip with a short hike.  As we rolled into Jasper so did some very black clouds, unfortunately the campgrounds were full so we had to pitch 15km out of town.  We had a very wet night, but we were snug in our NZ sleeping bags.

Day 12 Was our last day where we headed south on the Jasper highway, via Rocky Mountain House.  We stopped into the Columbia Icefields and walked up along the Glaciers (which we were unable to do in Winter).  We also found one very cute black bear on our way home too.   4500kms on the clock we made it home- What a trip!!

Lapping it up at the Delta

On top of Whistler Mountain

Peak to Peak Gondola

Amazing lake dammed by fallen logs

View from our campsite in Prince George

Pretty blue bird

Little black bear crossing the road

Another pretty canadian lake

Columbia Glacier, Jasper National Park

Very large black bear on side of road (we stayed in the car for this one)

Britic=sh Columbia Roadtrip Part 2 (Vancouver Island)

Day 5 we got up early and left the mainland on the ferry destined for Vancouver Island. Once in Victoria we checked into the worlds most expensive backpackers and were quite taken aback by the number of homeless people living in the CBD. We found the main viaduct and parliament buildings absolutely stunning surrounded by lots of colour and beauty.

Day 6 we toured throught he parliament building before hitting the road and heading north towards Qualicum Beach for and afernoon of sunbathing and relaxation.

Day 7 we cut across the island due west towards Ucuelet and Tofino, on the way through we got to see the huge Mars Bomber float planes land on a lake. These planes have been going nonstop fighting wildfires all summer. Once in Ucuelet we went down to the lighthouse and filled Rangi up to the brim with driftwood courtesy of the Pacific Ocean; we enjoyed a massive campfire at our campsite.

Day 8 it was back accross the island and onto the ferry to Horseshoe Bay. After the 4 hour wait for the ferry we finally hit the mainland and pinned our ears back to get to whistler.

Allyway in Victoria

Victoria Parliament Buildings

Native totem poles and art

Empress Hotel covered in ivy

Powerful stream on our way to Ucuelet

Lighthouse at Ucuelet looking out towards NZ

Schooners Cove

Camp Kiwi

Rainforest on Vancouver Island

Mars Bomber landing

Goats living on the roof of cafe, random.

Leaving Vancouver Island

British Columbia Roadtrip Part 1 (Montana - Vancouver)

We started our trip on Wednesday 22nd July, with Rangi full to the brim, stellar weather and the country music blasting out the speakers. We headed due south towards the US border into Montana. Here we hit the 'Road to the Sun', which had breathtaking landscapes and amazing views. This was where I proposed to Kirsten which also happened to be on our 5 year anniversary.

Day 2 we headed north back into Canada to the small alternative city of Nelson, British Columbia. We loved the quaint historic buildings and the evening festival where there seemed to be a constant aroma of BC bud. This is where we found the first pay phone and made some very important phone calls home.

Day 3 we hit up the Okanagan Valley for some incredible fresh produce and wine tastings. The weather caught us off guard reaching 35+ degrees. Due to Rangi's lack of air conditioning we had our heads out the windows to try and cool down. The beach at Kelowna was the place to be, where we swam until late in the evening.

Day 4 started with some premium wine tasting at Mission Hill Winery on top of a hill looking over the Okanagan Valley. We hit the road a little late, which made for a long drive to Robbie and Ed's in Vancouver. For the first time since leaving New Zealand we enjoyed fresh fish'n'chips on the Richmond Wharf, and Kirsten spotted her first Bald Eagles.

Road to the Sun, Montana USA

This is where I proposed to Kirsten

Rangi, the beast!

Nelson BC, Canada

Our henna tattoos

Kelowna, Okanagan Valley, BC

Mission Hill Winery

Richmond, Vancouver

Ed, Robbie, Kirsten and Myself