TOFINO
FOR PERSONAL TRAINING AND FITNESS ON THE SUNSHINE COAST, QLD. CHECK OUT
The last few days of work were full on. I had planned to just ease out and take it easy on my last week but Walter wanted me to help him with some extra wok that he had going on the side and would pay me $25 cash so I spent the last 3 days working 12 hours plus travel time and raking in the money! We were renovating a basement for a Fijian family so that they could have a living space downstairs. It was a great learning experience for me as we were doing everything from taking out and replacing windows to insulating and building supports bracing for the stairs etc etc.
But finally, it was all over!
We packed up the RV and drove to
On Thursday afternoon we were off! We were driving Andreas’ truck with surfboards in the back and a free weekend ahead of us! The highway runs north of
We missed the 5pm ferry so left the vehicle in the line and went to a local pub for spinach and artichoke dip (you really should try it, delicious!).
It was a cold night, so we spent only a little time on the ferry deck, watching the moon slide behind the silhouetted trees on the mountainside to our right. We spent that night in
The drive to Tofino takes about 3 hours, the latter part being a winding, narrow road that snakes through mountains and valleys, with spectacular lake views and crystal rivers that look so inviting but you know they would freeze you in seconds.
We arrived in Tofino with absolutely no idea where we were going to stay, so our first couple of stops were at surf shops on the way into town. We found out that we were in for some decent surf and managed to also find a real gem of a resort called the Pacific Sands to stay at. This place was perfect, Meters from the most consistent surf beach in Tofino, we could look out of our balcony window and check the waves!
That first afternoon was just fantastic, my first surf in nearly a year! A rare sunny day blessed us with a warm dazzling sunset and clear waters for a memorable “sunset session”. I say warm, what I really mean is we were suited up with 5 mm wetsuits, 5mm booties, felt lined hoods and neoprene gloves in order to withstand the frigid north pacific waters! But the sun was out, and that is a rare blessing in these parts!
As the sun dipped beyond the horizon, Andreas and I swapped boards so that I was now riding the 8 foot min mal. I caught 3 beautiful peeling waves that I was able to pump up and down the face of and wham I was back in the zone and feeling fantastic!
We spent 3 days at the pacific sands, surfing and chilling out and just getting back into travel mode. It was the perfect buffer between finishing work and starting travel again. We even spent an evening by an open fire, right next to the beach, toasting marshmallows and spinning yarns until the late hours of the night…
On our last morning I woke early, hoping to get a good last session in before we headed back to
So we decided to take our rental gear back for the start of business and save on a day. When we got to the surf shop The Storm we realized that we had left one of the wetsuits back at the resort so Andreas went to get it while I browsed the surf shop quite happily. I hade been looking for a surfboard for a while now and nothing had jumped out at me and said ME ME ME! So I was surprised to see a second had 5’10” retro glassed on twin fin Fish hanging from the ceiling with a for sale tag. I knew it wouldn’t be cheap as it was in excellet condition and a retro fish, they never are. But I got it down anyway.
The more I held it and inspected it the more I wanted it! This was exactly what I had been searching for for months now and the guy dropped the price to $500 for the board, with a board bag, leash and wax! I was internally trying to argue that it was too expensive, but the board won me over ad I bought it right then and there! I haven’t yet ridden it, but will be sure to post when I do!
So an all round great trip, and we still had whistler to go before heading south into the
