Submitted by Trip Leader Cindy Dalcourt
Fourteen of us signed up for a full day adventure in and around the Parksville area on Vancouver Island.
Our first stop was the Parksville Museum, a very interesting place just off the hwy. There was a large nature house with many informative and interactive displays. The museum has been able to gather many historic buildings, and they are set up like a small village on a very scenic property. It was very interesting to walk through all of them and learn the recent history of the area.
From there we drove fifteen minutes to the Butterfly World Coombs. We divided the group in half, so some ate lunch first in the picnic area and the others went inside the greenhouse. We switched the groups around after about twenty-five minutes. There were many exotic butterflies flying freely around us which was magical. Some even landed on us and you had to be careful not to have them on you when you went out the door. Most of the butterflies come as pupae from South America and Asia. They are hatched from their chrysalis in the emerging window and then released into the tropical-like greenhouse.
Our next stop was the North Island Wildlife Recovery & Discovery Centre. We met our guide who gave us a one-and-a-half-hour tour around the center. Starting off in an outdoor seating area one of the staff brought out a small owl on her arm for us to look at. There are many rescued birds at the centre, and they each have a name and story of how they came to be there. Their enclosures are very nicely put together with lots of natural material. We also saw their black bear which cannot be released as it has a seizure disorder. We did get a close-up look at him as he was lazing about in his lounging area close to the fence. The centre also had five bear cubs, but we could only see them via observation camera as they are trying to have as little human interaction with them as possible in preparation for a successful release next year. We had some time after the tour to wander around and have a longer look at everything.
The three carpools split up after this stop as we had about an hour of free time before returning to catch the ferry home. Some went for dinner and some went to Coombs to see the “Goats on a Roof”. It was a very busy day that went off without a hitch and was enjoyed by all!
