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100 %
Last replied
4 May 2025
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Description
Happy, mature, goodhearted and no longer SuperWoman, I work long hours in summer managing a small boutique hotel and am looking for a willing helper to help independently on basic home and garden tasks on my small seaside property in the village of Alert Bay, which is situated on an exotic Pacific island, just off the north-east coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia.
Alert Bay is truly a gem. Welcoming and friendly, this tiny village is gifted with a rich blend of First Nations and pioneer cultures, and located in the homeland of humpback and orca, grizzly and black bear, sea lion and salmon. The air is fresh and clean, the water pure and good. It's an ideal setting for exploration & re-creation.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
There's a Shift that usually happens on the journey here…
You'll notice it as you board the ferry from Port McNeill, and mark how it takes hold as you step ashore in Alert Bay. Here you'll discover a uniquely colourful village, unhurried by the pace of the modern world...
The jewel in the crown, U'Mista, our Museum and Cultural Centre, is a primary destination for world travelers. It hosts the famed Potlatch Collection of cultural regalia, and includes an extensive art gallery, cultural/dance presentations and a variety of free summer classes including: cedar bark weaving, storytelling, traditional First Nations design & Kwak’wala language lessons. ( decent home footage of a Potlatch ceremonial dance ..youtube.. Wu Hu Hu Whey ) ( youtube.. G̱alisuk̓wala ..for a great dance lesson from Pewi )
The Kayak 360 is returning this year.
At the end of July, there’s the annual kayak race around tiny Cormorant Island, on which Alert Bay stands. Depending on the competition level, the circuit takes anywhere from 1-3hrs. The participants are traditionally here for 3 or 4 days of camaraderie with the weather being traditionally awesome.
Occasional weekends one can find live music / jam sessions down at the Pub.
A great place to meet folks, our Thrift Store, affectionately known as ‘the Mall’, is open Saturdays from 1-3pm.
From May to October local tours leave the village daily heading for Blackfish Sound and Glendale Cove and some amazing wildlife viewing. And friends go out now and then who would happily welcome crew onboard for a day or so. ( youtube.. Nature of Things Emotional lives of Orcas ..filmed locally )
In the colder months it's fairly easy to hitch a ride up to Mount Cain for some fabulous downhill skiing. ( breathtaking youtube video.. Frozen in Time Mt Cain )
With dozens of beautiful totem poles gathered in many locations on the island, and with miles of beach, marsh and forest trails, walking here can be an adventure in itself ( for drone footage youtube.. Alert Bay in 4K )
Help
Along with basic Housekeeping there’ll be Projects like:
Fiber-glassing the edge of that old canoe, painting it and transforming it into a strawberry bed. Replacing the washer on that dripping tap.
Establishing a few small vegetable plots. Lawn mowing. Pruning. Organizing a yard sale. Making kombucha.
Picking raspberries in June / blackberries in September ( let's make jam! )
Harvesting seaweed from the beach to fertilize the garden.
Helping my best-neighbour-ever fish for halibut or harvest cedar bark.
And maybe that woodshed will still want building… or the fencing done.
…
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Accommodation
You’ll have a sunny private room with a queen size bed and shared bath, in a quiet and comfortable home, with interesting and friendly neighbours... all just steps away from the sheltered anchorage of the bay.
I'm a good cook, omnivorous with vegetarian tendencies and would enjoy cooking international meals together.. but you’ll often have to cook for yourself and maybe for me. The grocery store on the island is usually well stocked with basic foods, as is my fridge and pantry.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
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