These ferries are pretty nice to travel on, especially the newer ones. They have great dining and cafe options and are very comfortable. The trip to Vancouver Island takes about one and a half hours

The Butchart Gardens were created from an old Portland Cement quarry at Saanich Inlet, about 13 miles north of the BC capital, Victoria on Vancouver Island. Jennie Butchart started creating the gardens in around 1906, starting with the Japanese garden and the Sunken Garden around 1912. They are now world famous and truly magnificent, especially in Spring.