After all the driving and ferries over the previous couple of months, we were looking forward to slowing down at a house sit in a lovely home just outside of Moncton. Since we were taking care of a cat, we still had time to explore a little, but we also took the opportunity to enjoy the late summer weather on the decks and go for walks in the nearby forest.
Irishtown Nature Park
When we just wanted a nice place to walk, Irishtown Nature Park fit the bill. Since we were there mid-September to early October, we had the pleasure of watching the leaves turn. The acreage where we were staying was surrounded by trees as well, providing an ever-changing green-to-gold backdrop to our days.
Hopewell Rocks
After hearing from other travelers throughout the Atlantic Provinces, we knew we couldn’t miss visiting Hopewell Rocks on the Bay of Fundy. A ticket is good for two days so you can visit during both high and low tide. The tides worked in our favour so we were able to walk the ocean floor around the rocks at low tide, and then later experience the tide rushing in to fill the bay with muddy water. On the day we visited, there was a difference of about 10 metres from low tide to high tide (the Bay of Fundy has the highest tidal range in the world–it can fluctuate as much as 16 metres in a day).
Walking on the ocean floor 
The muddy flats of low tide 
The bay filled with muddy water close to high tide
Shediac
Our hosts had mentioned Shediac as being only 30 minutes away. Promoted as the lobster capital of the world, Shediac has the world’s largest lobster (a 90-ton sculpture) on display to prove it. Shediac is colourful and a bit kitschy (see world’s largest lobster reference), but it is also a summer playground town. We drove around to the marina on our visit in late September, and watched the penultimate boat being hauled out of the water and driven away. The marina was about to close down for another year, Parlee Beach, one of Canada’s warmest saltwater beaches, was deserted, and restaurants and food kiosks were either closed or advertising reduced hours.
Old train station decorated for autumn 
I liked this 3D mural, pulling back the curtain of history to make way for the new Shediac 
The lobster motif is everywhere, even on these bright red bike racks 
A diorama theatrically illustrating life in old Shediac decorates the end wall of the Shediac Lobster Shack 
The famous 90-pound crustacean
Kouchibouguac National Park
At the beginning of our Atlantic provinces trip, we drove north from Moncton, but missed the coastal road that takes you to Kouchibouguac National Park. We remedied that oversight.
Kouchibouguac National Park was created in 1969 to protect the fragile ecosystems of New Brunswick’s Acadian coast, including barrier islands, salt marshes, and rare species like the piping plover. Its establishment came at a cost: over 200 families were expropriated from the land, a deeply controversial chapter that still echoes in Acadian memory. Today, the park offers a quiet refuge where nature and history coexist, especially in autumn when the boardwalks wind through brilliant foliage and the summer crowds have faded.
TripBits
- Hopewell Rocks: Entry for two seniors, $33.76. We also paid $2 each for the transport back from the rocks to the visitor center.
- Kouchibouguac National Park: Entry for two seniors after Labour Day, $7.50.
Life: Phase Next 
It certainly is and we’re so glad we didn’t miss it! Newfoundland is covered in our earlier posts. This was the final instalment for an almost 4-month visit to the Atlantic provinces.
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Isn’t Hopewell Rocks amazing?! How great to do a house sit, and it looks like you go on to explore one of my favourite provinces, Newfoundland! Maggie
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