Nimmo Bay Resort: B.C. wilderness luxury gives your senses a feast

NIMMO BAY, B.C. -- Dancing over islands, skimming above the surf, hovering toward snow-capped peaks, hidden lakes and waterfalls in a bright red whirlybird is my idea of heaven.

Especially when Louis Armstrong's deep raspy voice singing "What a Wonderful World" comes over the headphones. Making a gentle bank to the right, Peter our pilot swoops over the red rooftops of Nimmo Bay Resort, putting down lightly on the helipad. Not only is this paradise in the wild, but we have just discovered that "to fly is human ... to hover, divine."

Located in British Columbia's McKenzie Sound area just northeast of Port McNeil, Nimmo Bay Resort nestles at the base of legendary Mount Stephens. Beginning with a dream and a waterfall more than 20 years ago, owner Craig Murray says, "I wanted somewhere to keep my family together and felt that starting a resort was the only way."

Some of the province's best salmon fishing, magnificent coastal scenery, delicious culinary delights and good family hospitality have lured many to Nimmo Bay Resort.

Recently named "Sport Fishing Lodge of the Year 2004" by Andrew Harper's Hideaway Report, Nimmo Bay has attracted the rich and famous. Now the Murray family, in cooperation with the U'mista Cultural Centre & Museum at Alert Bay, offers an exciting First Nations cultural odyssey, the Wi'la'mola ("we are all traveling together") Project.

Alighting from our helicopter, we are greeted with a "Gilakas'la" ("warm welcome") by Lawrence Ambers, Lillian Hunt, Randy Bell, the Murray family, resort staff and two lively golden Labradors. We settle into comfortably furnished bayside and streamside chalets complete with bird books, B.C. wine and fresh-baked cookies -- a taste treat of what's to come.

Executive chef Heather Davis, who trained at Vancouver's Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts, has prepared a coastal feast that is like poetry for the palate. Served by maitre d' Clifton Murray, we begin with a medley of wild Pacific salmon followed by roasted butternut squash soup swirled with red pepper pesto. Fresh halibut in a mango glaze and macadamia crust makes a grand entrance, and for the finale, an apple galette with fennel ice cream. A hot-tub soak under a starry sky then melts away cares and calories.

An early morning hike through the surrounding first-growth forest kick-starts the next day. Then, after downing some fresh-baked morning-glory muffins, we board the 30-foot whale-watching vessel Naiad Explorer. Piloted by personable "Capt. Bilge," the Naiad cruises at 30 knots.

Upon arriving at Alert Bay, the chief of Namgis First Nation, Bill Cranmer, welcomes us to the U'mista Cultural Centre & Museum, known for its superb potlatch collection.

"Potlatches are essential to our native culture," Lillian Hunt explains. "They are occasions to celebrate births, deaths and marriages. Marriages were arranged so the tribes would benefit, and since potlatches took years to organize, there was a strict order to them.

"When potlatches were forbidden by government authorities in the 1920s, all our masks and regalia collected dust in Ottawa for 50 years. The U'mista Cultural Centre & Museum celebrates the return of our ancestral spirits."

The sound of drumbeats beckons us up to the Big House, where Chief Cranmer, the Gwa'wina dancers and drummers are dressed in their regalia, masks and face paint. Racks of salmon surround an open fire in the center, the sweet smoke curling up to the massive cedar beams of the Big House. The ancient spirits begin to come alive in dances of the Raven, the Thunderbird, the Wild Man and Woman of the Woods. The dancers evoke the history of past, present and future generations.

A major part of that First Nations history was the Grease Trail, stretching from B.C.'s interior to the west coast of Vancouver Island, which for more than 1,000 years was the intertribal trading route and social connection.

Beginning in 2005, from June to September, Nimmo Bay guests and others will be able to travel parts of that trail in a series of 38 treks linking the east and west coasts of Vancouver Island. Led by First Nations guides, each trek will coincide with community performances and major feasts.

Back on the Naiad Explorer the next morning, we watch for orcas, dolphins, stellar sea lions, minke and gray whales and the many water birds found here. Armed with binoculars and cameras, we scan the seas for spouts, tails, fins or wings. At last we spot a pod of orcas surfacing and blowing, slowly making their way along the shoreline.

The next morning -- suited, booted and helmeted -- we take the helicopter out to raft the Wakeman River. Gliding and splashing over the glacial rapids and eddies, we search the riverbanks for deer, grizzlies, wolves or eagles coming to feed on the salmon and trout.

No wild animal sightings, but a gourmet picnic is awaiting us at the raft pullout. Chef Davis and her staff have outdone themselves with a delicious spread, even cookies with our names on them, and bottles of B.C. wine.

Shedding our river gear, we whirlybird over to the village of Kingcome to continue our First Nations cultural adventure. At the foot of a glacial-carved valley, Kingcome is home to British Columbia's oldest standing (104 years) Big House and was the setting for Margaret Craven's book "I Heard the Owl Call My Name."

With one of the elders, Flora Dawson, as our guide, we admire the building's hand-hewn cedar planks and the massive new totem poles being carved for a new Big House.

Airborne once again, Peter takes us on a wild ride, skimming the treetops and winding rivers, hovering above cascading waterfalls and 10,000-year-old glaciers, then up to a magnificent lake colored the deep, rich blue of ink.

Large chunks of snow and ice have fallen into the lake and are so perfectly reflected, the scene takes my breath away.

As we swoop down in our red 'copter to Nimmo Bay for the trip home, I am reminded of another bird. It is the local native legend telling of the Thunderbird atop Mount Stephens that flew down to the sea to become the first man. Wi'la'mola.

If you go

• Getting there: From Vancouver's South Terminal, Pacific Coastal Airlines has one-hour scheduled flights to Port Hardy (Reservations: 800-663-2872 and ask for Nimmo Bay Rep.). From Port Hardy, a Nimmo Bay Helicopter or PCA Grauman Goose will transport you to the resort in approximately 20 minutes. The Port Hardy Airport also is equipped to accommodate private aircraft.

• Transportation costs: Vancouver to Port Hardy roundtrip on PCA is about $250 (U.S.) per person. For guests on Super-Venture or Lodge Retreat packages, roundtrip to Nimmo Bay from Vancouver is about $450 (U.S.) per person.

• Resort costs: Nimmo Bay Resort operates from early May to mid-October and can accommodate a maximum of 18 guests for a four-day, four-night stay. The resort offers a variety of adventure packages starting at $3,995 (U.S.) per person for the Lodge Retreat from May 2-June 27. The First Nations Cultural Adventure, for a maximum of 12 guests, runs May 2-Oct. 17 and is $4,995 per person.

• U'mista Cultural Centre & Museum: Open year round, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, with extended summer hours. Adult entrance fees are approximately $5 and guided group tours are available.

• Information: Online at www.nimmobay.com; e-mail to heli@nimmobay.com; phone 800 837-4354. For Cultural Center: www.umista.org.

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