Things to Do During Your Stay at the Enchanter

Events:

The biggest event in Pender Harbour is the Annual May Day celebration, held the Victoria Day Weekend every year. There is a parade, aerial fly-over, many games and activities for children, craft and product displays, live music, outdoor barbecue and more. This event draws large crowds every year from all over the Coast, Powell River and the Lower Mainland.

The Sunshine Coast Wooden Boat Festival, presented by the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary, will be held at the government dock in Madeira Park. It will be open to the public from August 1st. through August 4th. Besides the wooden boats, events will include displays of marine heritage, hardhat diving exhibitions and children's activities. For more information about the festival please visit: www.woodenboatfestival.ca.

Do you like to listen to world-class jazz? The Annual Pender Harbour Jazz Festival has venues that are intimate making it possible to see and hear up close some of Canada's finest musicians do what they love. Great rapport between the audience and the musicians nourish each other. The festival is small but the talent is large. The Vancouver jazz community provides many of the musicians with local and Canada wide musicians represented as well.

Art Galleries :

Motoko's Original Art, Fine art Studio & Gallery in Garden Bay: Situated in Garden Bay, Pender Harbour, Motoko's Original Art, Fine Art Studio & Gallery is located at 4590 Sinclair Bay Road. This private studio and gallery has over 1,200 square feet in which Motoko exhibits her original art and her giclée limited edition prints. Experience the ambience of this beautiful, private gallery and enjoy Motoko's warm welcome. You are in for a treat.

Motoko's gallery in Garden Bay is here for you to visit and simply enjoy. The gallery is the perfect place to choose the right artwork for your home or office, or you may be considering a gift. You will always be welcome.

Hiking:

Nature enthusiasts can take advantage of Pender Harbour's mild climate, to discover a variety of trails either by foot, mountain bike, or with a 4 by 4. The Suncoast Trails Society and the Regional District maintain many of these trails which often include old skidder trails or decommissioned logging roads. While hiking through the enchanting rain forest trails, take time to admire the spectacular scenery, from seasonally snow-capped mountains to breath taking ocean views. Deer, elk, bears, eagles; among other wildlife still abound in this natural habitat.

Many very popular trails are within 30 minutes drive of The Enchanter B&B. A half hour drive will take you to the best-known trail on the coast which leads into Skookumchuck Narrows Provincial Park, where one may witness the awesome power of one of the world's fastest reversing tidal rapids. The native name Skookumchuck means strong (skookum) water (chuck). This premier sunshine Coast attraction is a 4 km (1.5 hr.) hike on a level, manicured trail with toilets and picnic sites to dramatic rapids with a backdrop of snow-capped mountains.

To gain an appreciation of the Pender Harbour area and get a birds-eye view of the Sechelt peninsula, take a 30-minute hike up Pender Hill. For a steeper, 2.5 km (1 hr.) hike with an equally impressive view; hike up Mount Daniel whose trailhead is only ten minutes from our B&B. The official Pender Harbour website has a more complete list and description of trails and parks in the area:

Parks:

Pender Harbour's rainforest climate and aquatic location, allow for a wealth of parks including some of the most beautiful marine parks in the world. In 1998, the Francis Point Marine Park Society made it it's goal to protect a 180-acre block of pristine waterfront. This breathtaking waterfront is located just a few short minutes from the Enchanter Bed and Breakfast. Some local parks in our area are that have either a trail or a beach are: Baker's Beach, Dan Bosch, Francis Point, Garden Bay, John Daly, Katherine Lake, Lions, Pender Hill and Skookumchuk.

Golf:

Located on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia, Pender Harbour Golf Club is about five kilometres north of the community of Madeira Park (10 minutes from The Enchanter B&B). Established in June of 1986, this 9-hole course was built with a unique combination of flat and hilly fairways. Water hazards are scattered throughout to add to the challenge of the game. The fairways are fairly tight, with elevated greens and tees that enable you to take in every great view of the surrounding mountains and scenery that is common to the entire area.

Golfing

The 4th hole is the most challenging at Pender Harbour, where you drive 200 yards uphill and a further 200 yards downhill to the green. Weather permitting; the course is open year round.

Horseback Riding:

If you're interested in horseback riding, a ten minute drive from our B & B takes you to Malaspina Ranch Stables. Contact Malaspina Ranch Stables at 604-883-1126 in Madeira Park for guided tours.

Water Activities:

With three government wharves, Pender Harbour is a delightful haven for the boater. The Madeira Park government wharf provides the conveniences of showers, toilets, as well as a pumping station. Many resorts and marine pubs snuggled along the harbour, also have docks allowing the water enthusiastic to stop for refreshments. The Harbour penetrates over three miles inland, and its complexity of inlets and other dents gives it a total of 103 miles of shoreline. Until very recently, most travel was on the waterways rather than the twisting roads, giving the area its name of the "Venice of the North."

Of course, the best way to really appreciate the Sunshine Coast is to travel by water. The intricate waterways and scattered islands are made to explore, and there are several marinas and marine parks in the area. Launch a kayak or canoe and explore Sakinaw, Ruby or any of the smaller lakes.

Boat Tours:

See the world-renowned Princess Louisa Inlet and Chatterbox Falls during a day cruise aboard a boat charter. Chatterbox Falls is a waterfall at the head of Princess Louisa Inlet whose roar is all the louder for the silence of the surrounding wilderness. Access to this enchanted inlet some 50 nautical miles from Sechelt is by charter boat or float plane. Tours for the falls leave from the Pender Harbour area or Egmont. For more information on day cruises contact Malibu Yacht Charters.

Sunshine Coast Tours also offers tours up Jervis inlet to Princess Louisa, as well as the Egmont Highlights for an experience of the marine wilderness areas surrounding Egmont, and to the Skookumchuck Narrows.

Air Tours:

Midcoast/Tofino Air offers tours from Sechelt to the Jervis Inlet. Check out their website for more information.

Diving:

The Sunshine Coast is ranked among Canada's best places to scuba dive because of the diversity of geological features and marine life. Divers come from all over the world to see the great array of marine life including the Giant Pacific Octopus and the deep walls of fragile cloud sponges. For more information on diving on the Sunshine Coast visit: www.britishcolumbia.com/recreation/?ID=82.

Boating Tours

Fishing Charters:

Pender Harbour's myriad bays, coves, and passages offer some of the best sport fishing on the West Coast. For information on local boat charters contact Sherri and Jeff at Pender Harbour Charters (604) 885-8519, view their website: www.salmonfishingbc.ca.