The Maritimes - August 2018 - Post #2 - Moncton and Hopewell Rocks.

We arrived on Sunday afternoon in Moncton and made our way to the Hampton Inn and Suites. 

We spent the afternoon stocking up on food and supplies and in the early evening after dinner, we went to see the new Mission Impossible movie at a theatre in the neighbourhood. 

On Monday, we had researched the best time to go to Hopewell Rocks, about a 45 minute drive from Moncton, to see the amazing tides that have made The Bay Of Fundy so famous. Ideally you should arrive some time around low tide and be prepared to stay for a few hours as it moves to high tide, so that you can see the enormous difference in the level of the waters. 

Low tide on the day that we were to visit was about 2:30 in the afternoon, and so we decided to explore a little of the area before heading over to Hopewell Rocks. We had read about a lighthouse and lookout point called Cape Enrage, located about 45 minutes beyond Hopewell Rocks. 

On the way there, we stopped at various craft vendors whose wares were on display and for sale along the Fundy Coast Road. We enjoy various kinds of unique crafts, with a special interest in ceramics, and there were quite a few artists studios located along the way. 

What really stood out was the lack of people and the wide open roads. We were warned that the week we were visiting was the height of the season and therefore the place would be packed. When we reached Cape Enrage, there was hardly anyone there. 

It is located on a point that juts out into the sea and supposedly, the waters can get very rough and the winds can be very strong. On Monday, it was sunny, warm, calm seas and hardly any wind. We walked up to the lighthouse, looked at the view, watched a number of people zip lining in the area and found a very welcome picnic table for our lunch. Cape Enrage was nice, but not spectacular.

On the way to Hopewell Rocks, we saw these signs side by side on the highway, and were a bit puzzled......

We also passed by this cemetery marker and thought that someone died laughing......

At 2:30 we arrived at Hopewell Rocks. We now figured out why every other place was empty. Everyone was at Hopewell Rocks. The parking lot was quite full and there were a number of large tour busses as well. You enter by paying the National Park admission fee and then make your way along a forested 1 km. walk to the cliff high above the ocean floor. 

From this vantage point, you can see the ocean floor, the edge of the sea about 100 to 200 metres away and the “flowerpot rock” formations that dot the Shore. There were many people walking on the shore and they were all jockeying for position to capture the great “Kodak” moment with the unique rock formations. The first pic is from the top of the stairs.....and the second is from halfway down the stairs.

To get down to the ocean floor, you need to descend the 100 steps; surprisingly there is no elevator. 

We were warned not to wear good shoes as you are guaranteed to be walking thru mud. After all, a mere few hours earlier, this entire area was covered by about 50 feet of water. And this happens, day in day out. 

So Fran wore her “wellies” and I wore crocs. And it was a good thing we did. 

When we reached the bottom of the steps, right in front of us was “Lovers Arch” and a couple of very high rock formations. 

You can walk along the Shore for a kilometre or two and each new vista is another photo op. The closer you got to the water’s edge, the muddier it became. There were even a few brave souls who actually waded into the water for a swim. You do have to watch the clock as around 5 pm, the tides were beginning to reverse course and begin flooding the area of the Shore where we were walking.

From these pictures you can get an idea of the size and massiveness of the rocks at Hopewell. It was amazing!

We had reserved a 6:30 kayaking trip which would take us directly over those areas where we had been walking. We were to arrive at 5:30, receive instructions and a safety demo, as well as a chance to suit up for our two hour kayaking trip.

We were in two seater kayaks and this trip runs every day, rain or shine, so we gave our thanks to Hashem that our day was not a rainy one. In fact, it was sunny; warm but not too hot; and a perfect time to kayak. There were about 24 kayaks in the water, and the guides split the group into two, each group with a professional guide in the front and another in the back. 

As we glided around the Shore and came to the place where we had descended the stairs to the ocean floor, we were amazed by how far the tide had come in. But we were even more surprised an hour later on our way back when the tide was lapping at the foot of the stairs. 

This was an amazing day; one that we would recommend to anyone visiting the area. We really lucked out as we might not have had such a good experience if it was too hot, raining or rough seas. Highly recommended. 

We returned to the hotel feeling muscles that we never knew we had; and had a very good night’s sleep before heading into Prince Edward Island on Tuesday morning. 

On Tuesday morning, we said good bye to Moncton and drove about an hour eastward until we reached the Confederation Bridge, an 8 mile long bridge that connects the Island Province of Prince Edward Island to New Brunswick and the mainland of Canada. It was completed in 1997 and until that time, the only ways to reach PEI was by plane, ferry or swim.

Once in PEI, we drove the leisurely and picturesque coastal route to Charlottetown, the capital and the place where the Confederation of Canada was officially declared at the Charlottetown Conference for representatives from the colonies of British North America to discuss Canadian Confederation in 1864 and formalized in 1867. Curiously, while the conference was held in Charlottetown, PEI did not officially join Canada until 1873. So there is a lot of pomp and ceremony in the small city of Charlottetown centred around the events of 1867 that tourists can observe and enjoy.

The other big thing in PEI (besides potatoes), is the fact that the fictional character Anne of of Green Gables has her origins in the province.

More about both of these things in the next post.

All the best

Fran and David