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Videos
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Captain Dave Welch
Fundy Tide Runners
Chris Billings
Kingswood Golf
Denis LeBlanc
Fox Creek Golf
David Campbell
The Algonquin Golf Club
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New
Brunswick – adventures
along the Fundy Coast
New Brunswick has much to
offer visitors; stunning coastal scenery, beautiful beaches, the
warmest water north of South Carolina, the iconic Hopewell Rocks, whale
watching with Captain Dave in St. Andrews, an Acadian Lobster dinner at
sea with Captain Ron in Shediac, hiking the Fundy Coastal Trail,
fascinating EdVendures in Fredericton; and fine golf courses designed
by Montrealers Graham Cooke and Darrell Huxham.
During our recent tour, our accommodations included the elegant
sophistication of The Fairmont Algonquin, the charming grace of Tait
House in Shediac and the warm welcome at the Quaco Inn in St. Martins.
We also enjoyed friendly hospitality at the Rodd Miramichi River, and
the fully renovated Crown Plaza Fredericton Lord Beaverbrook Hotel on
the banks of the St. John River. And while these are all
important ingredients for a wonderful vacation –
it’s the people that welcomed us along the way that made our
trip to New Brunswick special.
Located
on Passamaquoddy Bay, St Andrews has been welcoming tourists to New
Brunswick since the 19th century. Its beautiful setting on a peninsula
adjacent to Maine and surrounded by offshore islands has made the
community a favourite summer retreat for generations of wealthy, but
unpretentious folk from Montreal, Boston, New York and beyond.
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Kelly’s
Bakery in Alma for world-famous sticky buns,
the good humour is free
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It’s a seaside
town where local fisherman and wealthy summer residents will sip coffee
together at local cafés.
The main street, running parallel to the harbour and shoreline has a
variety of independently owned stores, restaurants, tea rooms,
galleries and craft shops; and the person serving you is quite likely
the owner.
St. Andrews is a wonderful stop for anyone planning a tour of the New
Brunswick Fundy Coast, one of Canada’s greatest scenic
routes. Whale watching, golf at the legendary Algonquin Golf Club, the
beautiful Kingsbrae Gardens, and a visit to the Van Horne summer estate
on Minister’s Island can easily keep you happily ensconced in
this historic town for several days.
Montrealer David Welch
enjoyed a few
careers before moving to St. Andrews and starting Fundy Tide Runners
with his wife Sandra 15 years ago. The boat Dave uses is a 24 foot
rigid-hulled Zodiac Hurricane that gets you out to the best
whale-watching waters fast – very fast – with the
200 hp turbo-charged
diesel engine powering the vessel quickly to the best viewing locations.
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The
award-winning Kingsbrae Gardens in St. Andrews
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With a
capacity of just
12 people, the speedy Zodiac enables Captain Dave to manoeuvre rapidly
and catch up to sightings reported by other craft. Dave spent his
childhood summers on the offshore islands, and he shares his intimate
knowledge with his guests. In addition to seeing whales, he also took
us by a colony of seals; “They’re much bigger and
their numbers have increased – a good sign.” He
also pointed out a few great American Bald Eagles, their wingspan
enormous as they flew just a few metres from our boat. As we
drifted listening for the whales surfacing to exhale, we were joined by
porpoises playing nearby. With the sea teaming with life above and
below; David good naturedly admonishes us; “Now
don’t anyone say you didn’t see anything!
We’ve seen seals, porpoises, American Bald Eagles, all kinds
of water birds – and I promise you we’ll find some
whales.” And he did – several of them. Magnificent
beasts feeding on the natural bounty below the surface of The Bay of
Fundy.
The
Fairmont Algonquin – a story book come to life
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Back on
shore, it was
time for a
little nourishment; and we found just the spot at Georgiana’s
Tea Room
on Main Street. Newly opened, it’s just what you’d
expect in a tea
room, with a variety teas served in lovely fine china cups. High tea is
offered at 4pm. They also make a great cup of coffee – and
leave room
for the carrot cake!
Kingsbrae
Gardens is a
must-see for anyone even remotely interested in
gardening. Highly structured formal gardens, the gentle chaos of an
English Country Garden, a Scent Garden for visually impaired visitors,
and another where all the plants are in raised beds with ample space
for wheelchairs so that everyone can enjoy some aspect of the Garden.
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Exploring
the sea caves at St. Martins
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The
staff is particularly
excited about the garden’s acquisition of a
200 million year old species from the Jurassic age - the Wollemi Pine
–
long thought to be extinct. Guided tours (both individual and for
groups) are available. The 27 acre garden site is open from mid-May to
Thanksgiving; seven days a week from 9am to 6pm. Completed in 1997,
Kingsbrae Gardens has won numerous awards and recognitions; including
Canadian Garden Magazine, CAA/AAA “Gem Status”,
best Developed Outdoor
Site in Canada (Attractions Canada), designated an Audubon Co-operative
Sanctuary, and is the only New Brunswick site selected for the VIA Rail
Garden Route.
Golfers
of every skill
level can enjoy the 18 hole historic Algonquin
course, recently re-developed by Tom McBroom, who took the 27 hole
course and reconfigured it into a spectacular 18 hole tract with
breathtaking views of Passamaquoddy Bay, Maine, and the Fairmont
Algonquin “rising like a castle out of the woods”
according to
Assistant Pro, David Campbell during his enthusiastic and entertaining
tour of the course.
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Fundy
Parkway Interpretation centre, Denise Bazinet,
General Manager Brian Clarke and Brenda MacNeill
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“Our
signature hole - the one in the brochures – is
#12.” Continuing, David says “As you stand here
ready to tee off – you
can sometimes see whales breach out in the bay, and you may see as many
as 50 – 60 sailboats with the town in the foreground; and
Maine over
there on the right, across the bay.”
David
tells me that the
course is Audubon Society Certified; “There are
birdhouses all around the course,” and that it is a nature
preserve.
It’s not unusual to see deer crossing one of the fairways.
“Mr. McBroom
used golden fescue on some of our longer holes, in part to give them a
little bit of a Scottish ‘links’ appearance.
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Hopewell
Rocks at low tide
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It helps to
narrow the
fairways a little.” David also shows that a few of the holes,
like #4
and #17 have split fairways, offering golfers a
“safe” route to the
green or a more challenging and possibly more direct approach. Adjacent
to the 5th fairway, you’ll see the former Hiram Walker
Estate, now a
successful B&B. “you can’t see the water
from here – but you can
see Maine!”
Minister’s Island is also a must-see for any visit to St.
Andrews.
Constructed by railway magnate William Van Horne as a summer residence
– it provides a glimpse into how the super rich lived
generations ago.
To create a swimming pool, he had workers cut a pool-sized hole in the
sandstone rock in front of the house. When the sea receded at low tide
– voila; a salt water swimming pool warmed by the summer sun!
The barn
that housed his cattle is also an architectural marvel – as
sturdy
today as it was when erected over 100 years ago.
Further up the coast, you’ll find some of the most fantastic
scenery at
the Fundy Trail Parkway – just outside St. Martins. It is the
longest
stretch of natural and undeveloped coastline from Newfoundland to
Florida – largely because it was previously owned by William
Randolf
Hearst as a tract of timber to supply paper for his magazines and
newspapers. The New Brunswick government purchased the land from the
Hearst Corporation in 1994. Armed with current environmental knowledge
and procedures, the development of the park has become an example of
best practices for the development of a natural park. Park Director
Brian Clark said during our visit: “The Fundy Trail Parkway
is without
doubt the largest infrastructure project currently underway in New
Brunswick.” Continuing, Brian noted;
“We’re not here to compete with
the local businesses in St. Martins. Apart from a snack bar –
we don’t
have a restaurant, accommodations (with the exception of the Hearst
Lodge), or any other tourist service. The idea is that visitors to the
park will come to St. Martins, and enjoy that wonderful community a
little longer because they want to spend two or three days
exploring.
The
scenery is absolutely
stunning, with hiking paths planned so that
visitors can enjoy the vistas opening before them from the cliff-top
vantage points rising hundreds of feet above the Bay of Fundy. In
addition to hiking trails of varying degrees of intensity, visitors can
also rent bicycles to explore the park.
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Hopewell
Rocks at high tide, 29 feet of water
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ou can also visit the Hearst
Lodge, and overnight stays are available starting at $99 per person,
including breakfast and dinner; or $450 pp for a 3 day/3 night
adventure. It’s a unique and special program, with delicious
and
plentiful food. The Interpretive Centre has an informative history of
the area and the small community populated by two families who were
engaged in wooden shipbuilding during summer; and logging in the winter
months.
The village of St. Martins has a seagoing history that continues for
the inshore fishery and lobstermen today. While the water is a little
‘fresh’ for swimming, there is a long crescent
beach that is ideal for
walking. The Sea Caves have been carved out by eons of erosion of the
cliff side sandstone, and they are accessible by foot at low tide and
by kayak at high tide.
Continuing
up the coast
on our tour, we also visited Hopewell Rocks,
known as The Icon of the Province of New Brunswick, where we were given
a warm welcome by Group Tours & Admissions Manager, Guy Daigle. This
is the location
famous for its Flower Pot Rocks; and where
visitors can walk on the ocean floor, and where the average high tide
is an incredible 29 feet!
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The
Fox Creek 18th hole and clubhouse
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Set up
for self-guided
tours, Hopewell Rocks
has an interpretive centre, a lovely restaurant overlooking the cliffs,
sea-kayaking facilities (at high tide), hiking trails, bird watching,
and picnic facilities. With the exception of having access to the ocean
floor, the site is wheel chair accessible. The entire site is
visitor-friendly, and must-see for any tour of the Fundy Coast. The
facility is open from mid-May to Thanksgiving.
Golfers will be pleased to know that nearby in Dieppe (just outside
Moncton) they will find an outstanding championship course at Fox Creek
Golf Club, designed by Montrealer Graham Cooke. “We cap our
membership
at 300 so that we have ample tee times for visitors,” said
course owner
Denis LeBlanc during our visit. “The course was built for fun
– we want
people to have a good time with their game here at Fox
Creek.” Denis
and his staff look forward to welcoming Montrealers to a round at their
reasonably-priced club.
Whether you’d like to try some soft adventure hiking, cycling
or
boating; or the more subdued pastimes of shopping and sightseeing
– New
Brunswick has an activity that’s sure to peak your interest.
Plus – you
can be assured of warm Maritime hospitality from the people you meet
along the way. Bon Voyage!
Next Month: We’ll tell you about our visit to Shediac where
we had an
authentic Acadian lobster dinner with Captain Ron Cormier. We also
visited Miramichi and Kouchibougouac Park before finishing up in the
lovely capitol city of Fredericton and a tour of the Kingswood Park
golf course.
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