HALIFAX BY BUS & BOAT
Amphibious craft tour harbour city
All aboard the Harbour Hopper, a frog-green, rusting hull-on-wheels tour that allows visitors to experience Halifax by both land and water. The four-vehicle fleet of retrofitted Vietnam War-era amphibious craft, purchased from the U.S. army for $1 million apiece, carries thousands of passengers a year, and is a staple of summer in the city.
The approximately hour-long tour is split evenly between city streets and Halifax Harbour, narrated by a peppy guide who explains each site’s cultural significance and leads the passengers in the occasional round of “ribbiting” in honour of the Harbour Hopper’s mascot, a rain-capped frog.
The carrier begins its route on land, winding up the narrow roads of Citadel Hill, first fortified in 1749, until it reaches the star-shaped fortress at its summit, designed to provide a clear view of the harbour and Royal Navy Dockyard.
The bus drones by the broderie-patterned beds of the Halifax Public Gardens; down the city’s main drag, Spring Garden Road; past the Old Burying Ground, where, by some estimates, 12,000 of Halifax’s earliest settlers are buried 10 to a grave; and a statue of British statesman Winston Churchill, who during a visit to the city in 1943 allegedly gushed that it is “something more than a shed on a wharf.”
The tour arrives at a slimy ramp on the edge of Halifax Harbour. At this point, 23-year-old tour guide Alex Landry informs the group that driver Asim Khan has become captain of the vessel, and he will take on the role of first mate.
The crowd braces itself for the awesome transition from bus to boat, and the vehicle rolls into the water with a minor splash.
The vehicle propels its way into the harbour, cruising past the naval dockyards, the lighthouse on Georges Island and the serrated skyline of Atlantic Canada’s bustling hub.
By the time the Harbour Hopper returns to the waterfront, some of the children on board have been lulled to sleep by either the history or the waves. Others are still giddy about having spotted a seal near the docks.