Canada a land of contrasts

Press, 4 November 1986, Page 33

Canada a land of contrasts

Tourists from overseas find themselves amazed by the compactness of New Zealand. In an hour or less the visitor can move from one scenic or recreational attraction to \ another by road or by air. By comparison, Canada is laid out on a grand scale. There are more mountains towering skyward, more plains rolling for kilometre after kilometre and wilderness areas that spread over many times more than the total land mass of New Zealand.

Canada actually covers more than half the North American continent and is the second largest country in the world. From east to west it stretches 5156 km between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Its official Latin motto translates to “from sea to sea,” and Canada has nearly a quarter of a million kilometres of mainland and island coastlines. Air New Zealand’s weekly Canadian services land at Vancouver, Canada’s third largest metropolitan region, with the sophistication and bustle of a big city and its historic buildings nestled amongst high-rise towers. Towering tree-clad mountains. mantled with snow

in winter, hover over the city and sea. The comparison could be drawn with Wellington, but again the proportions are much larger.

The dominant features are the harbour, the expanse of Stanley Park and Grouse Mountain, locals will proudly tell you that nearly one in four families own a boat and that it is possible to go cycling in Stanley Park in the morning, sail in the ice-free harbour in the afternoon and then ski under floodlights at night on Grouse Mountain. Stanley Park, ten minutes from the heart of the city, also features an aquarium with over 3000 species of sea life on display and a show-pool where three massive killer whales go through their paces and give a new meaning to the word belly-flop. There is also a zoo, miniature train, outdoor theatre, sandy beaches for picnics and several restaurants and fast food shops, as well as a jogging/cycling track around the park’s 10km seawall. In Vancouver, gardens

bloom all year round and spring arrives early in march with daffodils, crocuses and budding trees. During April and May, hundreds of blossoming trees line down town and residential streets. The grass remains green all year. In ' late September and October, maple leaves take on .the yellows and rusty fall colours.

Several Indian reserves are located in the Greater Vancouver area.

Nearly every fourth family owns a boat and several floating gas stations are located near Stanley Park. At Horseshoe Bay, you can rent or use your own boat for salmon fishing. Over 5000 miles' of sheltered cruising waters lie just on Vancouver’s doorstep.

Vancouverites can set their watches to the i!2noon “O Canada” whistle which plays the first four notes of the National Anthem. The train whistle is sounded from the B.C. Hydro building in downtown Vancouver. At 9.00 p.m., a cannon is blasted from Stanley Park which can be heard for a great distance. A unique Christmas event is the Christmas Carol Ship cruises. With young carollers bn board, the cruises parade Christmas-lighted ships

around Vancouver’s Harbour on three evenings near Christmas. Vancouver and surrounding area, is fastbecoming a popular location site for moviemakers from all over the world.

While Expo was the highlight of 1986, each year the visitor can find a wide variety of festivals and ceremonies staged throughout Canada. These range from the Nanaimo/ Vancouver bathtub race to the spectacular Calgary Stampede. First time visitors to Vancouver should also take one of the many tours to the capital of British Columbia, Victoria on Vancouver Island. The cruise from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay on Victoria sails through the picturesque Gulf Islands, an area reminiscent of our Marlborough Sounds. On Vancouver Island the British influence is at its strongest, now mixed with Canada’s own stylings. Here there are more castles than chateaux and gardens that rival the homes and parks of Christchurch. The Empress Hotel — which does look French in its style — serves high teas that are so popular that often bookings have to be made.