Inside!
* Christmas is a-coming
* Garden Route Tour - Day 5
* Kouga-Baviaans Tour - Day 2
* Wild Coast Tour - Day 1
* Pass of the Week
CHRISTMAS 2023
With just 18 days to go before Christmas, it's that time when South Africa goes into that predictable silly-season mode. We spend money we don't have; we leave our gift shopping to the last minute; we have stressful family gatherings; we stress about whether a family member will like the gift or not; we eat too much; drink too much; drive too fast and generally do silly things. But why?
It's apparently a release of the year's frustrations, victories and struggles. The road death toll will no doubt be another barometer of the South African mind-set over the next four weeks. Take it easy folks. Be rational. Be careful. Stay off the roads where possible. Be kind. We would really like you around in 2024.
At the time you read this newsletter, we will be halfway through our 7th Ben 10 Eco Challenge, celebrating the birthday of one of our guests, Peter Emmanuel (73). A cake has been baked for him and Mountain Shadows Hotel will no doubt be in ebullient mood this evening. We will do a full report on the tour in due course. This will be the first time we are doing the new Ben 10 format. We have taken out the Ben MacDhui Pass as it's no longer accessible; the Barkly Pass - as it's too easy and the TTT as it's been deteriorating lately and can get quite boring. The new passes we have added include the Heuningneskloof Pass, Dangershoek Pass and the Pitseng Pass. We believe that the new format will be a considerable improvement over the old Ben 10 format. The proof will be in the driving!
GARDEN ROUTE TOUR - DAY 5
All good things must come to an end and so the final day of this most enjoyable and laid back tour dawned gently over the misty forests and heather clad hills at Portland Manor. The final day on this tour is an easy one, where the focus is on chilled sight-seeing and frequent stops.
After another good breakfast at Portland Manor, we ran our usual radio roll-call at 09.00 to ensure no-one had overslept and took the road east to Knysna through the Garden of Eden and Plettenberg Bay. We stopped at Old Nick's Village for coffee and a comfort break, before heading to the The Crags and Kurland, where guests could choose to visit the Elephant Sanctuary, Monkey land or Birds of Eden. Most guests opted for Birds of Eden, which is a marvellous experience. Once inside the roofed/netted area it feels like you're in a movie set from Jurassic Park.
Next up, was a slow drive down the freshly resurfaced Grootrivier Pass (Well done Western Cape Government) for a beach lunch break at Nature's Valley.
Grootrivier Pass, recently refurbished / Photo: T4A
Short History: For a long time travel along the Garden Route parallel to the coastline was impossible, due to the extremely deep and precipitous river gorges blocking all east–west traffic. Charles Collier Michell reported in 1839: "there is no practical way – not even a footpath, from Plettenberg Bay to the Tzitzikamma country". Thomas Bain built a road from George to Knysna, the so-called "Seven Passes Road", which took from 1867 to 1883 to complete. Previously, access to the coastal area which lay further east was possible only via the Langkloof valley, which lies immediately north of the Tsitsikamma Mountains.
Nature's Valley only became easily accessible after Thomas Bain completed the Grootrivier Pass in 1880. He and Captain Christopher Harison (later Conservator of Forests) first explored the route in 1868 to test its feasibility. Harison's interest in the road stemmed from his belief that it could be used to halt the runaway destruction of the forest started by Dutch East India Company woodcutters in 1777 and carried on by their descendants. At the time that Bain and Harison reconnoitred the route, Bain was supervising the construction of no fewer than six passes, so that 10 years would elapse before he could start work on the Groot River Pass. A hundred years later the demands of road transport would dictate the building of a freeway with enormous concrete bridges – a tribute to the skill of engineers, and bringing in its wake considerable collateral damage to the environment.
Nature's Valley - a Garden Route gem / Photo: Wikipedia
Possibly the best part about staying in Nature’s Valley is that, despite its being on the Garden Route and in spite of its overwhelming beauty, it has managed to remain relatively ‘undiscovered’. The peaceful valley, some 29 kilometres from Plettenberg Bay, lies virtually in the heart of the Tsitsikamma forest, the site of monkey ropes, old man’s beard dangling from trees, a beautiful lagoon surrounded by mountains and forest, and miles of unspoilt white beaches - arguably the most beautiful part of this coastline.
In Nature’s Valley lies a small village, a little hamlet of 50 houses, permanently occupied by its residents who have managed to minimise any development that might spoil the area. The village lies virtually at the mouth of the Groot River at the bottom of the Groot River pass on a lagoon, and one speculates that it is the road that wends its way through the pass in an impressive example of multiple hairpin bends that may account for the lower numbers of visitors to this part of the world.
This is also the start and end points respectively of the Tsitsikamma Hiking Trail and the world famous Otter Trail.
Bridge over troubled waters - Old Bloukrans Pass / Photo: MPSA
It was time to tackle the second half of the day, where the unquestionable highlight would be the traversing of the old Bloukrans Pass. The signage on the N2 at opposite ends of the pass is confusing. On the Eastern Cape side, a large sign clearly pronounces the pass as CLOSED. On the Western Cape side there is no signage as such. The reason for this is that the Bloukrans River forms the border between the two provinces, thereby splitting the two halves of the pass into either province.
It is no secret that the Eastern Cape government is lagging very far behind the Western Cape and this pass is a perfect example of that difference. The Western Cape roads department have recently refurbished their half of the Bloukrans Pass and one can now legally drive down the pass as far as the bridge. They even gave the bridge a fresh coat of white paint. However, the moment you cross over the bridge, the road surface becomes overgrown - to the point that the width is now only single lane. Trees have fallen over the road, rockfalls (some big ones too) have not been cleared. With careful driving it is still possible to complete both halves of the pass. Our guests thoroughly enjoyed driving the pass.
We rejoined the N2 at Coldstream to the east of the pass and went on to Storms River Bridge, where we were able to walk under and across the gorge and feel the vibrations in the bridge deck as large trucks thundered by.
Storms River Bridge / Photo: By NJR ZA - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5735001
The Paul Sauer Bridge, also known as the Storms River Bridge, is a deck arch bridge over the Storms River. The bridge is located on the Garden Route section of National Route 2, between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth. At a maximum height of 120 metres above the Storms River, it was the highest concrete arch in Africa until the Bloukrans Bridge, 216 metres, opened on the same road in 1984.It was named after Paul Sauer, a prominent parliamentarian at the time.
The bridge was designed by Italian engineer Riccardo Morandi, and constructed by Concor between 1953 and 1956. It spans 100 metres and sits 120 metres. The main span of the bridge consists of a reinforced concrete arch structure spanning between two concrete abutments located on the western and eastern sides of the river. The deck of the bridge consists of three main spans, the centre span between the two abutments and the two approach spans up to the joint above the abutments. The reinforced concrete deck is supported by the arch by means of 12 sets three reinforced concrete columns or struts.
The main arch structure was constructed in a unique fashion. The complete arch was divided into four semi-arches which were built with climbing formwork in an essentially vertical position on opposite sides of the gorge. These were then rotated and lowered into position in pairs to meet at the centre, thus forming the completed arch structure.
It was time to head to Storms River National Park to enjoy our final night right next to the ocean with the waves crashing on the rocks. My wife had not been feeling all day and by the time we checked into our chalet, she asked to be taken to the doctor. For the first time in the history of our tours, I would have to be absent from the Chappies Awards night.
Suspension bridge at Storms River Mouth / Photo: SANParks
I tasked Theo Hammond (a regular on our tours) to collect the two way radios and another regular, Solam Mgqobozi rallied and stood in for me as toastmaster that night and apparently did a great job. I drove through to the nearest doctor in Kareedouw to get Charon sorted out. The doctor met us at his surgery after 20.00 on that Saturday night. That's the kind of service one still can expect in a small town.
And this goes to prove that I don't even have to be present to run our tours. Our guests are so proficient I can stay home and chill!
Our next Garden Route Tour will only take place in 2005.
KOUGA-BAVIAANS TOUR - DAY 3
The convoy regrouped at Ripple Hill where we ran our daily comms checks and set off towards the Baviaanskloof, heading west in light rain. Patensie is all about citrus. Tractors pulling trailers full of citrus ply the main roads daily. The orchards smother the entire Gamtoos valley in neat rows of greenery. Our first point of interest for the day was to visit the Kouga Dam, which had started overflowing about 10 days earlier. This was a major local event and everyone was talking about it. The dam last overflowed in 2015, such was the extent of the drought.
What we were unaware of was that we had to cross the Kouga River twice on the way there and twice on the way back. At that stage all the drivers had their confidence levels high after the previous day's adventure at the Grootrivier crossing. This crossing was not quite as deep (around 700mm) but the current was much stronger. As usual we got one of our water diviners to do the honours. This time Barrie Barnardt (aka Barrie die Bek) was ready for action and walked the river. It was declared doable.
Barrie Barnardt - checking the state of the crossing / Photo: MPSA
Just as we were about to drive over, two large citrus trucks appeared from the opposite bank. The first truck drove slowly across which gave us a good look at how the water was behaving. We all drove across without any problems. Once we got to the Kouga Dam wall, we had options. We could drive along the left side and get to a lower viewing platform, or we could cross the same river again, to access the elevated view point and tunnel. Once again Barrie walked across and declared it safe. We all crossed over without any hitches and drove up to the top. It was cold and windy up there and definitely not suitable for putting the drone up.
On the way back to the main road, Richard radioed a message through to say his Land Cruiser was overheating. We stopped the convoy and those with mechanical knowledge went to see what was cooking (pun intended). After some deliberation it was agreed that it was probably a stuck thermostat (We were all wrong). Richard would have to wait for the engine to cool down, then add cold water and slowly return to Patensie to locate a mechanic. The rest of the group would continue westwards into the Baviaanskloof and Richard would catch up with us on his own steam (another pun) or at Zandvlakte (our next overnight stop.)
Richard driving his Land Cruiser camper through one of the water crossings that ended his adventure / Photo: Trygve Roberts
It took him several hours to reach the main road, at which point he decided to phone for a tow-in service. Once the mechanic in Patensie had a look, it was established that an object (probably a water borne stick) had damaged the radiator fins, causing the water to leak out. The only solution was to put in a new radiator, but (you guessed it) there was no radiator available in Patensie. It would have to be ordered from PE. It was a Friday, and although the mechanic promised he would install it on the Saturday, it should be noted that it was a Rugby World Cup weekend with two huge games including the Springboks vs France game. The chances that the mechanic was also a rugby fan tipped the scales in terms of a completion date to the wrong side of the fence.
Richard and Hearther booked in at the Ripple Hill hotel and they were to have company later the same day with Alan and Paula Butlers in their Land Rover Defender. But we'll cover that little saga in the next episode.
WILD COAST TOUR - DAY 1
We gathered at our usual rendezvous in Matatiele - Resthaven Guest House, where fairly cold weather greeted us, counterpointed by the warm welcome offered by Philip & Elrita Rawlins. It had been raining and snowing over the past few days, so we were expecting mud. Snow could be clearly seen on the Drakensberg to the north of the town. The temperature the next morning was very crisp 2C.
Snow in November! This photo was taken by one of our guests who arrived a day earlier than the group
Radios had been fitted and tested; fuel tanks were filled and tyres were deflated in anticipation of a 12 day meander down the Wild Coast. We had an interesting mix of vehicles: Land Cruisers, Hilux's, Fortuners, Jimnys, a Pajero and an Isuzu bakkie. At the drivers briefing the foundation was laid about convoy driving, radio etiquette and a brief question and answer session gave way smoothly to a heart dinner served up by Elrita. Wow, that lady can cook!
It rained during the night and continued to drizzle into the following morning, as we got the big 15 strong convoy rolling eastwards down the potholed R56 towards Cedarville, where we said goodbye to the tar for a while as our route took us through verdant farmland, oozing with water and fat cattle.
Our first pass was the Nungi Pass. This pass is surprisingly steep and presents non 4WD vehicles with some challenges. It climbs relentlessly up the northern slopes of the mountain to summit at 1101m ASL. Just after the summit, the road levels briefly and follows a ridge above the village of Mveni - a sprawling village in a beautiful setting. We stopped for a leg stretch and a few pics before tackling the descent.
The triplet Jimnys looking resplendent at the top of the Nungi Pass / Photo: Trygve Roberts
This early part of the tour is a good introduction for what's coming in the days ahead. The route follows a maze of villages with forks (unmarked) in every direction. If you haven't done your map work in advance, I guarantee you will get horribly lost here. The lands were looking good with lush green grass evident as far as the eye could see.
We passed through Colona Nek then split away following a long descent to the Mzimvubu River Valley, where we crossed the big river via a low level concrete bridge. Water levels were a little lower than our previous visit in May, but there was still a strong flow. Debris and a large dead tree that had been trapped n the upriver side of the bridge in May, was still there.
The river has its source in the northern region of the Eastern Cape, in the area of Matatiele and Mount Fletcher near the Lesotho border. The Mzimvubu flows with twists and turns generally in a south-easterly direction and flows into the Indian Ocean through an impressive gorge known as the "Gates of St John" into an estuary located at Port St. Johns. It is approximately 400 km long with a catchment area of 19,853 km².
The Gates of St John are two peaks known as Mount Sullivan (north) and Mount Thesiger (south). This photo was taken from Mount Thesiger looking east at towards the Mzimvubu Mouth / Photo: Trygve Roberts
Although it is one of South Africa's major rivers, the Mzimvubu and its basin are largely undeveloped. In 1635 Portuguese ship 'Nossa Senhora de Belem' ran aground at the mouth of the Mzimvubu River. The Mzimvubu River divides Pondoland into an Eastern and Western Pondoland. Formerly the river mouth was used as a harbour, but this activity was abandoned in the 1940s when the estuary became too shallow for large vessels owing to siltation and the fact that the entrance is sometimes obstructed by sand. Presently the estuary is navigable only for small craft for about 10 km upriver. The main tributaries of the Mzimvubu River are the Tsitsa River, the Thina River (Tina), the Kinira River and the Mzintlava River.
We were making good time and arrived at the intersection with the N2 east of Mount Frere, where we turned east towards Mount Ayliff for a smooth 20 km run with traffic passing us at quite a rate due to our convoy maximum speed of 80 kph. The turnoff to Tabankulu invited us onto a slower, but potholed tar road. The roads department and local authorities have been repairing potholes constantly for the past two years, but they seem to appear at the same rate the old ones are repaired. One really has to drive carefully.
Tabankulu is not all chaos. The recently opened multi-million Rand Sipetu Hospital has added a much needed service to the community / Photo: News 24
Tabankulu was our first proper Transkei village experience. Most of the towns in the area suffer from the same maladies. No visible or enforced policing, free for all in terms of double and even triple parking, livestock and pedestrians, noise and litter. There is also no sense of urgency. Here you can truly experience the patience of Africa and its best to leave your big city standards at home and enjoy the spectacle. Meat (nyama) being cooked on open fires on the sidewalks; loud and distorted music blaring from shattered speakers; local drivers in cars with wobbly wheels inching along at walking speeds; no indicators; no hand signals. You can blow your hooter, but you will simply be ignored. I've grown to look forward to each experience and I see the positive side of things. We teach our guests to do the same. When in Africa...
Once through Tabankulu, it was time for the highlight of the day, the Mzintlava Pass. As if to welcome us a lone vulture winged its way directly over our convoy.
Next episode: Mzintlava Pass - a piece of South African magic.
PASS OF THE WEEK
The Bloukranspas translates directly from Afrikaans into 'Blue Grag's Pass'. Master pass-builder, Thomas Bain, relished the challenge of planning a route through both of the formidable obstacles of the Grootrivier and Bloukrans gorges within the Tsitsikamma Forests, when the government first started considering a coastal road between Port Elizabeth and Plettenberg Bay in the 1880's. The Bloukrans Pass is one of the most revered and respected passes in South Africa. It is a sad indictment that this road has been allowed to degenerate into such a state of disrepair that it has now been declared closed to traffic. This pass is surely worthy of National Monument status!
* * B L O U K R A N S P A S S * *
Trygve Roberts/Editor
"I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear." ~ Nelson Mandela
