VICTORIA VANCOUVER ISLAND
Thanks to Landsea tours for a great day out at Victoria and the Buchart gardens.We got the ferry from Tsawwassen on the mainland to Schwarts bay on Vancouver Island . The 1 hr and a half cruise was superb.
Great weather and terrific scenary. Then down to Victoria on Vancouver island.
Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada, one of several North American regions named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific coast of North America between 1791 and 1794.
The island is 460 kilometres (290 mi) in length and 80 kilometres (50 mi) in width at its widest point. It is the largest island on the western side of North America at 32,134 km² (12,407 sq mi) and the world's 43rd largest island, Canada's 11th largest island and Canada's second most populous island after the Island of Montreal, which has 1.3 million more people.
The 2001 census population was 656,312. British Columbia statistics in 2004 estimated the population at 734,860. Nearly half of these (331,491) live in Greater Victoria. Other major cities on Vancouver Island include Nanaimo, Port Alberni, Parksville, Courtenay, and Campbell River.
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada. Located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, Victoria is a major tourism destination seeing more than 3.65 million visitors a year who inject more than one billion dollars into the local economy.
Victoria is a cruise ship port where cruise liners stop at Ogden Point terminal.
The city also receives economic benefits from its close proximity to Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt, the Canadian military’s main Pacific naval base. Downtown Victoria also serves as Greater Victoria's regional downtown, where many night clubs, theatres, restaurants and pubs are clustered, and where much larger regional public events occur.
On the boat with fellow travellers from New Zealand
Vancouver Island's busiest entry point is Victoria via the BC Ferries Schwartz Bay Terminal, just north of Victoria. From the BC Ferries Tsawwassen Terminal, south of Vancouver BC on the mainland, ferries take a sailing time of 1 hr 35 minutes arriving at Schwartz Bay on Vancouver Island near the beautiful seaside community of Sidney, BC only 26 kilometers (16 mi.) north of Victoria.
LUNCH IN VICTORIA
THE BUTCHART GARDENS