Hopewell Rocks: The Peak of My Summer |
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| Written by Dahlia Liwsze |
| Friday, 16 October 2009 00:00 |
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I stood on the chocolaty ocean floor in awe. I smelled the distant ocean and smiled, feeling completely relaxed. The flowerpot-shaped Rocks brimmed green with life. Hours later, the world's highest tides would render where I had been exploring invisible.
(Cult)ure writer Dahlia Liwsze and husband Matt P enjoying low tide at Hopewell Rocks. Photo courtesy of Dahlia Liwsze.
The Hopewell Rocks is one of the most popular tourist destinations along New Brunswick's Bay of Fundy. A hundred billion tonnes of water flow into the bay twice a day. The joint effort of the tides and winds over millions of years is responsible for shaping the famous Rocks. The Bay of Fundy is 290-kilometres long and runs between New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Maine. It has the highest tides in the world in part because of the gravitational pull of the moon. Higher than normal tides reaching between 32 feet (10 metres) and 46 feet (14 metres) are caused when the sun and moon align during new and full moons. The highest tide recorded was over 50 feet (16 metres), the equivalent to a four-storey apartment building. "It was freaky. You hear about it, but then you see it," John Gray, 45-year-old Quebec resident who visited the Hopewell Rocks about six years ago, told me in a recent telephone interview.
The happy vacationers standing on solid ground during high tide. Photo courtesy of Dahlia Liwsze.
Another reason for the Bay of Fundy's impressive tides is that the bay is fairly funnel-shaped and quite shallow, which causes tidewater to become higher as it has nowhere else to go. In turn, the combination of this factor, the moon's pull, and the Seiche Effect, where wave action is similar to sloshing water back and forth in a bathtub with each wave higher than the next, explains why the Bay of Fundy is called "the world's largest bathtub." My husband Matt and I went to Moncton this summer to experience the power of the tides. Low tide was at 9:23 a.m. on July 25. Hours later at 3:16 p.m., our tour guide Anna-Marie Weir of Roads to Sea Guided Tours pointed out that the tide was 44 feet (13.4 metres) in the very spot where we had been earlier. She added that the highest tide in July, however, had occurred on just the day before and measured 45.3 feet (13.8 metres). Seeing this natural wonder was an experience of a lifetime. I needed to get away from my busy job and other stresses in my life. When I went out east, the water calmed my tired body. The power of the tides gave me energy. To hear, smell or see water always helps put me in a different state of mind. The eastern hospitality and delicious seafood further added to my incredible experience this summer. Hamann said that despite the recession, the number of tourists to Hopewell Rocks from Canada (primarily Ontario and Quebec) and the United States did not decrease. While the 2009 season ends in mid-October, as of August 17, there was "an increase in visitation of 13.42% over 2008." More specifically, the Rocks "welcomed 124,972 visitors up by 14,783 visitors from 110,189 for the same period in 2008."
The majestic beauty of high tide. Photo: Dahlia Liwsze.
"Participation in this campaign is as noteworthy, from a tourism perspective, as being in the Olympics or being recognized by UNESCO," said Hamann. An international panel of experts evaluated the top 28 natural wonders finalists by the criteria of unique natural features, seascapes, diversity of landscapes, rock formations, preserved areas, national parks, geo-location and ecological significance. According to the Bay of Fundy Tourism website, the bay is "best known for the highest tides in the world and has been compared, in marine biodiversity, to the Amazon Rainforest." Bernard Weber, the Swiss-Canadian adventurer leading the Foundation, said that over one billion people are expected to vote with public voting ending in 2011. "This campaign should contribute to the appreciation - to the knowledge - of our environment and not just the one in our country but worldwide," he told The Associated Press. "If we or our children want to save anything, we should first appreciate it." It's hard not to agree. We have so much natural beauty in Canada we sometimes take it for granted. It not only sustains us but renews us. For me, it was the healing power of water. For others, it may be mountains, wildlife, or connection with the land in general. "I've had people cry because they were so moved by the beauty of the area," said Weir via e-mail. "When I have people on my tours and I can see that they are deeply and profoundly moved by nature that makes me feel like I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing."
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