One of the best ways to truly explore almost anywhere in Canada is to get out in nature and so, after a rather hurried breakfast in Moncton (we were limited on timing due to changes in the tide.
I will explain more about that later below), we headed over to Hopewell Rocks – one of the most iconic places in all of New Brunswick.
(*You can find the previous post from Nova Scotia, by the way)
See the thing about Hopewell Rocks is their actual dramatic shape – coupled with the fact that they’re in the Bay of Fundy, home to the largest tidal changes in all of the world.
The tidal change here is so extreme that it can be as much as a 42ft (13.5m) difference between low and high tide within a few hours!
The tidal change is fairly predictable so you know when to visit to see it at high tide and when to visit at low tide, which is when you can actually walk on foot around Hopewell Rocks.
At high tide, kayaking is one of the best ways to explore Hopewell Rocks so with that, we hopped into a 2-person kayak (we got this at Baymount Adventures who are actually right down by the rocks – you really can’t miss them) and began to make our way through the rocks (I still don’t know why we kayak in tandem, it always ends up in silly arguments as each one of us insists we know better than the other).
In between playful little fits of one person shouting “Go left!!!” while the other kept paddling to the right, we managed to stop to take in the beauty of where we were.
The real point where these rocks shine however is when the water recedes as low tide sets in and you finally get to see them in all their glorious height.
At this point, you can head down to the newly exposed beach and go for a wander between the rocks.
The same spot we were kayaking through just a couple of hours before looks and feels nothing like it did before in the kayaks.
The rocks tower above you so much more so for starters and the bits that were submerged almost make the rocks look like all it would take for them to topple over is a strong wind (it isn’t but some of them are so much thinner at the base that you’d be forgiven for thinking so).
We proceeded to spend the next couple of hours exploring every nook and cranny we could here, trying to recreate the route we took rowing through the rocks earlier that day.
Eventually, we headed back up for a quick bite to eat, before leaving Hopewell Rocks back for Moncton where we had a whistle-stop tour of the city planned, along with an opportunity to try some local craft beers and check out some of its street art.
And so off we went, leisurely taking in Moncton in the sunshine, stopping off for the occasional beer before deciding to call it a day and head back to the hotel for a quick power nap (the early morning had thrown me off my jetlag game but post-nap, I was back on form. 😀 ).
Dinner that evening was at Little Louis, where we decided to go for the chef’s tasting menu. What ensued was a cornucopia of delicious, locally sourced foods with everything from seafood to local flowers popping up on our dishes.
We swiftly and rather adeptly worked out way through the delicious menu before eventually deciding to call it a night.
Funny, this was our second night in Moncton and yet somehow it kinda felt like we’d only been here for just a few hours. All the more reason to return and explore, even more, I guess?
The following morning, we made our way over to Shediac for a little wander around, but more importantly (to the glutton in me, at least), for the chance to learn how to eat a whole lobster without using any single utensil – a challenge I was more than happy to take on. *licks lips*
We started off in Shediac with a little jaunt around the rather colourful houses in the harbour area, home to ice cream shops, cafes and shops selling all sorts of knick-knacks.
Shediac is known as the lobster capital of the world (not sure who designated this but it’s something the town is quite proud of) and so what better place to have lobsters than here.
Justin (of NB Explorer) was our lobster guide for the day and arrived with a picnic basket with our freshly cooked lobsters.
You’d think the idea of eating lobsters with no utensils is an easy one but it so isn’t. I just thought you’d be let loose on it and hope for the best but there’s more to it than that.
In fact, I’d go as far as saying there’s a whole art to it. It’s got to be done step-by-step and even the bits from other parts of it are then re-purposed as utensils to get the ‘meat’ from the trickier to reach areas of the lobster.
Suffice to say, by the time we were done, there was nothing left but a heap of lobster shells.
With that, it was time to finally say farewell to New Brunswick as we made our way over to Newfoundland but even as we left the town (despite already having had dessert), we noticed an ice cream shop and decided to pop in for what turned out to be some of the biggest ice cream scoops we’ve had in Canada!
Ice cream in hand, we bade farewell to New Brunswick! It’d been short but sweet (quite literally too) but Newfoundland called!
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