Discovery Harbour & Tyee Spit

Get to the marina docks early in summer and you'll see the day take shape: anglers loading coolers onto charter boats, guides checking tide charts, and whale-watching groups pulling on survival suits. Discovery Passage is one of the richest stretches of water on the coast. Humpbacks and orcas travel through it, and its tidal currents are among the strongest anywhere. Most operators, including Indigenous-owned Homalco Wildlife & Cultural Tours, leave from this side of town.

The Tyee Spit curves out past the marina, a strip of gravel and driftwood with the river estuary on one side and open water on the other. It's home to a floatplane base, Dick Murphy Park and a walking loop that's quiet even on busy days. Just offshore is the Tyee Pool, where members of the Tyee Club have fished from rowboats since 1924. To join, you need to land a chinook of 30 pounds or more by hand, without a motor. You can watch them from the beach in August and September.

Painter's Lodge has stood near the spit since the 1920s and has welcomed a long list of famous anglers. Its waterfront deck is a good place for a drink, whether or not you're staying.

Away from the water, Discovery Harbour Centre is the city's main shopping hub. Its big-box stores and supermarket draw shoppers from across the North Island, and it's built on We Wai Kai Nation lands. For residents, it's where the big weekly shop happens. For visitors, it's the place to stock up before heading out on the water.