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BAY OF FUNDY COASTAL DRIVE REGION: Saint John, New Brunswick’s largest city has been a shipbuilding centre since the last century. Replicas of sailing ships can be seen in the New Brunswick Museum. Other historic sites include the Loyalist House and the Old County Courthouse. The city was also a bastion for the British Loyalists, who flocked there in May 1783 to escape from the victorious American rebels after the War of Independence. The Reversing Falls are a natural phenomenon caused by the powerful tidal waters of the Bay of Fundy finding an upstream outlet into the rocky river gorge. The coastline is battered by the tempestuous 14m (48ft) tides of the Bay of Fundy, resulting in dramatic scenery such as the Hopewell Cape’s sandstone ‘flowerpots’ – enormous rock formations that have been likened to flowerpots because of their shape and peculiar sprouts of green foliage. Visitors should stay alert to the powerful incoming tide however, which can rise as much as 14m (46 feet). St Andrews has some well-preserved 18th-century houses as well as The Blockhouse, built in 1812 to defend the town from US incursions.
Blacks Harbour has a ferry to the little-known and unspoilt Fundy Islands, of which Grand Manan, the largest, boasts beautiful rare flora and fauna. Whales and dolphins can often be spotted from the shoreline. It is also a centre for collecting dulse (edible seaweed) which is a speciality of the province. Deer Island and Campobello Island are reached by ferry from Letete.
To the east of Saint John is Fundy National Park, the area’s most popular resort. Much of it is set on a plateau 300m (985ft) above sea level with 110km (69 miles) of hiking trails and 700 campsites. The huge range of organised activities there includes an Arts and Crafts School. Rowboats and canoes can be rented to navigate the tidal flats where tides can rise by 14m (52ft) a day. At low tide, guided walks of the ocean floor are led by naturalists. The park is situated on the major Atlantic bird migratory route, providing good birdwatching opportunities.
The Fundy tides cause an impressive tidal bore at Moncton, the province’s second-largest city. At Magnetic Hill, a popular natural attraction, an optical illusion makes it seem as if cars are being ‘pulled’ uphill. Family entertainments are provided at the Magic Mountain Water Theme Park and Crystal Palace Amusement Park.
Copyright © 2003 Columbus Publishing Ltd.
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