Things to see/do between Victoria and Ucluelet on Vancouver Island?

I'm planning to spend a few days on Vancouver Island with some friends in a few weeks time. Our rough plan is a day or so in Victoria, then drive out to Ucluelet to go sea kayaking, then return to Victoria to depart.

The drive from Victoria to Ucluelet is about 300km (sadly there's no road along the south of the island), and Google Maps thinks it'll take about 5 hours. With that in mind, we've basically allocated one day each way for the journey. (We didn't fancy going kayaking straight after a long drive, and driving back after a day's kayaking didn't seem sensible either!)

What this plan means is that we'll have time to stop off once or twice (for an hour or so) along the way. However, I'm not sure if there's anything to stop for, and if we'd be better off just pushing on and spending more time in Ucluelet.

Does anyone know if there are any things to stop off and do along the way? Any museums / galleries / etc to visit? Are any of the towns along the way picturesque and worth stopping of in for a little bit? As we drive through the various parks/reserves along the way, are there any points where we could stop off for a 1-2 hour interesting hike?