Pender Islands
Brooks Point on South Pender Island, a
Protected area and whale-watching spot.
POPULATION: 2,200
FERRY TERMINAL: Otter Bay
TOURIST INFO: Pick up a Pender Island Chamber of Commerce brochure
ATM MACHINES: Pender Island Pharmacy, Driftwood Auto
When Mike Crown purchased his Pender property, “It was love at first sight — the perfect small community in a marine environment. I went in hock to buy it that day.”
Forty years later he calls it “The best investment of my life.”
Ever since Daniel Pender arrived on board the survey vessel the HMS Plumper in 1857 and gave his name to the islands, the Penders have been welcoming visitors and residents alike, most of whom feel the same way as Mike.
The majority of the Penders’ approximately 2,200 residents live on the north island. Originally, North and South Pender were joined by a sandy isthmus the Coast Salish called “helisen” (lying between).
However, in 1902 a narrow canal was dredged to allow the ferry Iroquois a quicker and safer transit from Hope Bay to Sidney on its weekly circuit. In 1955, the present one-lane bridge was built to join the two islands once again.
Helisen is an historic part of the islands, as excavations in 1957 proved.
The dig resulted in the area being designated a provincial heritage site. A later excavation uncovered thousands of artifacts, which conclusively dated First Nations settlement back five thousand years. This beautiful site and nearby Mortimer Spit are favourite Pender playgrounds.
“The Penders are a glimpse of Paradise for we earthbound mortals,” claim one island couple. Cherie and Kevin Oke came to the Penders 15 years ago, also drawn by the natural environment.
“Sea birds and mammals are just a stone’s throw away from our front door ,while beside us is a peaceful wooded area that’s home to deer and many species of birds.”
Michel Dupuy, Canadian Heritage Minister at the time, said as much in his joint announcement with the provincial government on July 15, 1995, upon declaring the formation of the Gulf Islands National Park: “British Columbia’s coastal and marine environments are as varied as they are spectacular.”
Those same currents that drive sailors crazy on windless days are one of the reasons for the area’s rich marine populations. The eddies stir up the nutrients that attract the fish and the birds that prey on them: belted kingfishers, rhinoceros and Cassin’s auklets, storm petrels, bald eagles and herons. They’re joined by mammals like Stellar and California seal lions, harbour seals, otters, dolphins and pods of killer whales.
On shore are equal attractions. The Penders have more public beach accesses for their size than any other Gulf Island — 37 in all, and each one unique. Historic Bricky Bay was once the site of a flourishing industry in 1912, when the Coast Shale Company accommodated 75 men on its 20 hectares.
Medicine Beach protects one of the last wetlands on the Gulf Islands. Acquired in 1995, this nature reserve ensures the habitat of the Virginia rail, along with many other birds and the plants whose medicinal properties were prized by First Nations healers.
Brooks Point on South Pender, a grassy headland acquired by Penderites in 2001, also teems with marine life and birds.
Not into your own private beach? How about a little Frisbee golf? A 27-pin, four-hectare park interlaced with arbutus and fir, the Golf Islands Disc Park hosts an annual invitational tournament the last weekend of May. The rest of the time it’s free fun for children and adults alike.
Panoramic vistas will greet the energetic who climb George Hill, or 270-metre Mount Norman, the highest point on the Penders, or hikers can scramble down a nearby trail to explore 34-hectare Beaumont Marine Park, a hike given five stars by Charles Kahn in his popular book, Hiking the Gulf Islands. A trek in 230-hectare Roesland can fill a whole day as you follow the trails and logging roads winding up and around Roe Lake, then careening down to Shingle Bay and the old saltery site.
South Pender’s Greenburn Lake, a newly acquired gem in the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve, is another perfect half-day exploration.
More leisurely strolls can be savoured at Enchanted Forest Park on South Pender, or in the actual Roesland homestead, a flourishing resort for over 70 years before it closed in 1991. The genial owners, David and Florence Davidson, still live in the log home that David built from local western red cedar in 1972. Visitors are asked to respect their privacy when crossing over the footbridge to the scenic headland, where an old Indian war canoe can be found moldering near the trail, where chocolate lilies bloom in season, and where arbutus twist near the shoreline. One of the old buildings, the Roes’ original homestead, has recently been restored and is the new home of the Penders’ museum, housing memorabilia from the islands’ pioneer days.
Altogether, over 60 walking trails await your boots!
Exploring the Penders by sea is also highly recommended. Try kayaking or canoeing, sailing or fishing. Three marinas cater to visitors arriving by boat.
Newly redeveloped Otter Bay Marina enjoys proximity to the ferry and the Penders’ popular golf course and clubhouse; Poets Cove on South Pender, the location of Canada Customs, offers a spa, pool with jacuzzi, restaurant and bar, and the only marine gas dock on the Penders, while Port Browning also has a pub and close proximity to Driftwood Centre.
Recently renovated public docks are found at Port Browning, Port Washington and Hope Bay, the site of Hope Bay Store. Purchased by a group of 27 Penderites after its disastrous fire, the store has been brought back to life by their unique partnership.
Shoppers will find bargain nirvana at the Renaissance Gallery, while Driftwood Centre’s ever-expanding cluster of shops caters to nearly every need. The Penders can now even boast their own winery.
As with all of the Gulf Islands, artists’ galleries abound throughout the Penders. The annual Art off the Fence outdoor summer art show is a traditional and great way to artistically browse.
Popular events on the Penders include the Saturday morning farmers’ market at the Community Hall from early spring to late fall, the annual fall fair in late August and the New Year’s Lantern Festival.
“To our grandchildren, Pender is a very special place,” says Mike Crown, adding: “We agree.”
You may as well.