Last night we slept in the driveway of the garage so this morning we had to move it onto the road. When Mike moved it he noticed the brakes were spongy.

He check the brake fluid and it was down. Then he noticed a leak from the rear brake cylinder, the other side from what was replaced last time.

It was just as well we’d stayed overnight to get more work on the van. So the garage fixed this for us as well. Another small fortune!

Finally, around 2pm, we were ready to move on. We tried to get onto the 3pm ferry to the US but it was full. There was another one at 7.30 pm but we didn’t want to be looking for somewhere to sleep at 9pm, so we opted for the 6am one. They told us to come back after 7.30pm and we could camp in the queue for the ferry.

But there was another concern. Our wheel was making in rattling sound. We took it back to the garage for them to check. They pulled the wheel apart again and all looked ok. They gave it a good cleanup, and this seems to have fixed the problem.

We went and parked down by the waterfront until 7.30pm, then went and parked at the ferry terminal.

We had dinner in town and saw Victoria lit up at night. It was beautiful!

We were told customs would be checking our passports at 5.10am, and we’d have to buy our tickets at 4.30am. So, an early night for us!

Today a mechanic called Wayne started work on our van. He didn’t believe the new alternator was faulty so he went about troubleshooting our electrics.

It turned out our computer was at fault. He wired a workaround to bypass the computer and the battery is now charging as it should.

When we drove away, there was a whirring sound which I thought sounded weird. I told Mike to take it back for them to check.

Wayne took it for a drive and said the whirring was normal for a new alternator, but he heard another sound of concern. A clacking coming from the front wheel.

They took the wheel off and the brake pad was clattering around in there. When they changed our pads in Alaska, they hadn’t knocked a tab in to keep it in place. So Wayne fixed that, it was a simple fix. But he also noticed a lot of play in wheel. The steering idler arm was worn. So he ordered one in, and said he’d do it first thing in the morning.

Looks like we’re staying another night. But we are parked off the road tonight, and he also gave us a power lead so we could plug in our van.

Today I spent the morning editing and we went out in the afternoon into Victoria to do some sightseeing. It was another glorious day, about 26 degrees. A perfect temperature.

We walked around the waterfront, visiting some shops and admiring the architecture. It feels like we’re in London, on the Southbank but without all the people.

We ate out at the same restaurant again, this time ordering pork belly lettuce cups, fish and chips, and a key lime pie for dessert.

Another nice day in the capital.

We had a nice night in Chemainus, and considered staying another day, but we decided it was probably best we get moving, not wanting to rush it to Las Vegas. It was just as well we did.

As we were driving into the town of Victoria, Rodger decided to crap himself in the middle of the street. He’d lost all power. Mike popped the bonnet and checked the battery. It was flat.

A nice man stopped to help. He analysed it was probably the alternator. As it was a Sunday on a long weekend our options were limited. He rang a garage he knew were good and they said to bring it in. If they could get the alternator today, he’d fix it for us today. that’s pretty amazing service for a Sunday!

So we rang road side assistance and they were going to organise a tow truck for us. Meanwhile another nice couple stopped and brought out their fancy jump starter thingy as ours had gone flat. We jump started the car and managed to limp it off the road and into a carpark. About an hour later the tow truck turned up.

He towed us to the garage and they went about replacing the alternator. But this didn’t fix the problem so they analysed the new alternator was faulty and they couldn’t do anything about it until Tuesday. I had my doubts about it, but we were stuck on the side of the road until they could fix it.

The good news was, we are in a prime location in Victoria, just a few minutes walk to the waterfront, and a 20 minute stroll into town.

Victoria is a beautiful town and I really want to live here. The harbour is gorgeous with float planes flying in and out, and fantastic waterfront restaurants.

From here you can catch a float plane to other parts of the island, to whistler and even to Seattle.

We stopped at a water front restaurant for dinner and I had fish tacos and Mike has pulled pork tacos. Both were delicious.

We both slept really well in our van on the side of the street. I guess we were just so exhausted from the day.

Today we visited the quaint town of Chemainus. We had planned to meet up with some YouTubers we’d been following who have spent the last 4 years driving their van around the world.

It was surreal meeting people whose lives we have followed for so long. They had an interesting story to tell. We watched an episode where they caught a cop bribing them on camera in Malaysia. The cop told them if they pay now it will be cheaper.

Next thing they are going viral with millions of people sharing their video and they were wanted by the police trying to get hold of the footage.

Then there were all these memes being created about them in Malaysia and Singapore. Local comedians were joking about it. Apparently they were heroes in Malaysia for exposing the bribing policemen. Funny.

We then spent the afternoon down at the beach, contemplating whether to swim or not. We didn’t, but had a nice evening eating Thai then watching the sun set.

We’ve been on island time and completely forgotten to do blogs. So I’ll lump them into one.

30th July

We drove up to port hardy at the top of the island. We’d been told to visit the little Hudson falls, which was a short distance down a gravel road. Turned out the gravel road was really rutted and bumpy and too us 40 minutes to drive. At the falls it was a short walk to some river caves which were cool, but not worth the uncomfortable drive I didn’t think.

We arrived at port hardy around 5pm and found a nice spot to camp beside the beach. It’s much cooler at the top and a little drizzly, but nice for a break from the heat.

31st July and 1st august

Today we drove back down the island and stayed at the nice waterfront spot we’d stayed at a few days earlier. It was so nice we stayed two nights.

2nd August

Today was forecast to be super hot, so we snagged a shady spot down by the beach in Parksville. It’s a long weekend in Canada so all campgrounds are full. We spent the day hanging out at the beach before heading to the Costco carpark for the night. I’d been craving fish and chips, so we went to a nearby restaurant and I had fish tacos. I thought nz battered fish was good, but it’s next level here!

It’s been rainy and damp the last couple of days, so we’ve camped at a provincial park in Campbell river, a fairly large town.

We visited the elk falls and suspension bridge, and caught up on sleep, shopping and vlogs.

We’re having trouble being enthusiast with the damp weather. And Rodger leaks.

Today we drove back to the other side of the island and parked up at a beautiful free spot beside the bay. We got chatting to Colin and Pat, a couple of locals and they told us of all these hidden gems on the island to explore.

We were chatting until about 10.30Pm and they invited us to stay at their place in Victoria, where we plan to catch the ferry. People in Canada are so welcoming and friendly.

We woke up and had a super lazy morning. It was another glorious day on Vancouver island but we’d planned to drive on. Then I accidentally booked something that would keep us here another day.

Before leaving I wandered over to the surf shop to take a few photos. I casually asked about the cost of surf lessons and the lady said she’d need to ring to see if any were available. I wandered around the shop while I waited, only semi serious about it. She found me in the shop and told me I’d been booked on the 1.30pm course. Looks like I’m going surfing!

It was already midday so I went back to the can to tell Mike the news, we had some lunch and headed off to my lesson.

I’d booked on a group lesson but when I arrived I was the only one! So I had a private lesson for the price of a group.

Zach was my instructor and he was your typical surfer dude. Tall, lanky with long blond hair. he was a super nice guy.

He gave me a big bucket and chucked my wetsuit in and said he’d meet us at long beach, about 15 mins drive away.

I was a little apprehensive but the sea was calm with a steady stream of learner waves.

He showed me how to stand up on the board while still on the beach, then we hit the waves. I was expecting it to be cold but it was nice and warm in the wetsuit.

The first wave I completely forgot to stand up on but it was fun to belly surf. The second waved I got up straight away. Too easy I thought. Then it seemed like beginners luck as I struggled with the next few. I was having trouble getting my feet under as the booties felt really cumbersome. So I took the booties off and next wave I was up!

But not having booties brought on an extra challenge. It was slippery. But I caught few waves and it was awesome fun. we were in the water for 1.5 hours and near the end my upper body strength had gone. Trying to push yourself up in the board was like doing push ups over and over.

After the lesson I was really cold and the feeling had gone in my fingertips. So I layered up, put the heater on full and eventually things returned to normal. We camped again at the surf shop.

This morning we were up early to avoid the rush. Our first stop was Long beach, which is a long sandy beach on the Pacific Ocean. We took a walk and paddled our feet. It was freezing, even colder that the Arctic Ocean.

After our beach walk we checked out the town of Tofino which is a little surf town. We did a 1.5 hour walk through beautiful bush which took us to 3 private beaches. It reminded me a bit of the walk from Waihi beach to orokawa bay, but longer.

The beaches here are stunning, just like NZ. We saw a family of octopuses hanging out under some rocks.

After our walk we had lunch then headed out on another walk to a plane crash site. In 1945 a bomber plane crash landed into the hill, and is still there, in the same place. I’d heard about the walk , so asked at the visitor centre. it’s not a sanctioned walk and he told us it’s muddy and people get lost there all the time.

We thought we’d take our chances. We grabbed the Garmin Inreach but it was flat. We chucked it on a power bank and took it with us for just in case.

It was about an hours walk to the plane wreck. I’d watched a couple do this on YouTube a couple of years back and they were slushing through mud! But now they have planks of wood and it couldn’t have been an easier walk. It’s better than most maintained tracks in nz.

The plane crash was really cool. Most of the plane was still in tact with other plane parts scattered about. All 12 people on the plane miraculously survived. This was such an amazing thing to see.

That night we camped at the surf shop again.