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North of Nanaimo Hwy 1 is replaced by Hwy 19 , a messy stretch of road spotted with billboards and a rash of motels, marinas and clapboard houses. Almost every last centimetre of the coast is privately owned, this being the chosen site of what appears to be every British Columbian's dream holiday home. Don't expect, therefore, to be able to weave through the houses, wooden huts and boat launches to reach the tempting beaches that flash past below the highway. For sea and sand you have to hang on for Parksville , 37km north of Nanaimo, and its quieter near-neighbour Qualicum Beach . Parksville marks a major parting of the ways: while Hwy 19 continues up the eastern coast to Port Hardy, Hwy 4 , the principal trans-island route, pushes west to Port Alberni and on through the tremendously scenic Mackenzie Mountains to the Pacific Rim National Park. Laidlaw (tel 385-4411 or 388-5248) runs three buses daily from Nanaimo to Port Alberni, where there are connecting services for Ucluelet and Tofino in the national park.
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