South African hikes |
Walking the southernmost tip of the Cape Peninsula. |
Cape Point Nature Reserve |
Tuesday 8th - Wednesday 9th January 2008 |
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Situated at the junction
of two of earth's most contrasting water masses - the cold Benguela current
on the West Coast and the warm Agulhas current on the East Coast , the Cape
of Good Hope is popularly perceived as the meeting point of the Atlantic and
the Indian Oceans. Geographically, however, the Indian Ocean joins the
Atlantic Ocean at Cape Agulhas. The local authority proclaimed the area a
nature reserve in 1938 and it was incorporated into the Table Mountain
National Park in 1998. It encompasses 7'750 hectares of rich and varied
flora and fauna and its 40 kilometre coastline stretches from Schuster's Bay
in the west to Smitswinkel Bay in the east. The cliffs at the southern
point, towering more than 200 metres above the sea, consists of three
clearly defined promontories - Cape of Good Hope, Cape Maclear and Cape
Point. History of human habitation dates back to the early Stone Age, and
San hunter-gatherers and Khoi pastoralists lived here. Many middens (garbage
or sewage pits) are found along the coast. Early European seafarers who
circumnavigated the Cape of Good Hope include the 15th century Portuguese
explorers, Bartholomew Dias and Vasco Da Gama , whose journeys led to the
establishment of the Cape sea route to the East To commemorate their voyages
of discovery, two navigational beacons have been erected at strategic
points. In 1488, Dias named the peninsula Cabo Tormentoso, or the Cape of
Storms. Portugal's King John II later gave it the name Cabo da Boa
Esperanca, the Cape of Good Hope. In 1580, Sir Francis Drake described it as
"The most stately thing and the fairest Cape we saw in the whole
circumference of the earth". Prior to my planned annual break in South Africa, I had contacted hiking buddy and school friend, Ralph, to arrange to book a longer hike, rather than simply doing the usual day walk. Several ideas came to mind, including the popular Whale Trail (usually booked well in advance), but Cape Point Nature Reserve note: link to Google maps seemed the most feasible. We had once completed the first leg, being the walk from Cape Point Nature Reserve entrance to a car park located close to Cape Point itself (where a second car would have been left). The decision this time instead, was to overnight in one of a number of huts and then to return to the car park via the other (western) coastline. |
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Map of Cape Peninsula section showing Cape Point road network (courtesy Cape Point Route); View of Smitswinkel Bay and the road leading past it towards the entrance to the nature reserve. |
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View of the protruding Paulsberg and Cape Point in the distance - ex-schoolmates Brian and Ralph enjoying the fresh breeze and scenery. |
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Cape Point in the distance - Ralph contemplating another 15km odd. |
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View from Kanonkop towards Buffels Bay and the Point itself. |
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The natural splendour of Cape Point Nature Reserve, off False Bay, accentuated by the use of a fish-eye lens. |
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Map (courtesy of Wikipedia) indicating the route to India around the tip of Africa followed by Vasco da Gama in 1497 & 1498. |
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Ex-schoolmates Brian and Ralph basking in the sunshine. |
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Once of the Cape's most famous legends involves a ship named the Flying Dutchman. In 1680, the vessel foundered whilst rounding the Cape in heavy weather. The captain, Hendrik van der Decken, swore while his ship was sin king, that he would round the Cape if it took him until doomsday. Some believe that he has kept his word, as over the years the Flying Dutchman is said to have been sighted on many occasions. A well-know shipwreck is that of the Lusitania, which struck Bellows Rock in thick fog at midnight on 18 April 1911. This was one of the reasons why the present lighthouse was built. The remains of at least 23 shipwrecks lie along the coastline , only five of which can still be seen - at Olifantsbos, Duikersklip, Hoek van Bobbejaan, Dias Beach and Buffels Bay. The remains of two wrecks near Olifantsbos can be reached from the beach. These are the Thomas T Tucker, which ran aground during World War II and the Nolleth, wrecked in 1965. |
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View back towards Paulsberg, Die Boer and Judas Peak, just beyond Buffels Bay, from the direction of Cape Point. |
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Waves breaking on the rugged, rocky coastline just beyond Buffels Bay, near Matrooskop, with the huts still some distance away. |
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"The Point" has not been called the "Cape of Storms" for nothing and has therefore been treated with respect by sailors since it was first sighted by Dias in 1488. By day, it was a landmark of great navigational value until the introduction of the radar. By night, and in fog, it was a menace. Ships had to approach closely to obtain bearings and thereby were exposed to the dangers of Bellow Rock and Albatross Rock. In 1860 the first lighthouse was completed, 238 metres above sea-level. However, this light was often obscured by mist and fog. In 1913 construction was started on a second lighthouse on Dias Point, some 87 meters above sea-level. This second light was first lit at sunset on 11 March 1919, and remains the most powerful on the South African coast. The original lighthouse still stands on the highest section of the peak and is now used as the centralised monitoring point for all the lighthouses on the coast of South Africa. |
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Ralph & Brian on the approach above Rooikrans, just prior to our final gruelling ascent to Erica hut, where we were to stay for the night. |
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Brian Fainsinger preparing our well-earned dinner in the kitchen of Erica hut, near the Point. |
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Views from the stoep of Erica hut, with False bay to the right and the Atlantic Ocean in the west, to the left. |
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Ralph recalled the time he had been in Cape Point near Buffels Bay with his family, when a baboon found its way into the back of his kombi, with his daughters in there with it. All survived but the incisive manner in which the baboon opened a carton of fruit juice still sends a chill down his spine. And so we headed off to sleep, door shut, just in case the baboons did show. Suffering from acute sinus conditions since arriving in South Africa, I struggled all night to breathe, my nose totally blocked, which seemed to bother the others. I had arrived in South Africa from the UK still recovering from the most horrendous bout of the flu I had ever experienced. The journey continued on the second day, along the coast to Pegram’s point, Platboom, Hoek van Bobbejaan and then inland to Sirkelsvlei, ending again at the Main Gate. No sooner had we reached Pegram's point and Platboom from the hut, than we encountered some kite surfers, obviously experienced, starting out on the Atlantic shoreline, close to the rocks. Angling and diving are also popular down here. We stuck to the beach area and had to negotiate the sand dunes to some degree. Further north around Hoek van Bobbejan, the reserve had played victim to veld fires which had burnt the landscape for miles but which was showing signs of recovery. We encountered game en route, in the form of bird life and game, notably Eland and Bontebok but no baboons! After turning inland, we reached Sirkelsvlei. I found the following information regarding this isolated spot in the reserve: "Sirkelsvlei, a small perennial lake near Olifantsbos in the Cape Point Nature Reserve is unique. It has no apparent water supply. The water level is maintained partly by seepage. Because this water filters through acid sands, it would be expected that the water in the vlei would also be acidic. After all, the water in streams and man made water holes are acidic. Sirkelvlei has neutral water. This may mean that there is a subterranean source of water (from underground aquifers). The water tastes brak but tests have indicated that it is not very saline. Although the vlei has some aquatic life for example, the Cape River Frog or "Platanna" and fresh water shrimp, it does not attract much in the way of bird life. Not much is known about this body of water." Sirkelsvlei covers some 6 hectares and has a maximum depth of 1.4m. The wind had picked up substantially, particularly as we climbed our way up to Rooihoogte, our final obstacle prior to the final descent back down to the main entrance. our water supply had begun to run out and our lips were parched and dry but we kept going. A look at the small scale map we had been given upon our entrance, one would be deceived into thinking that we had one single hill to negotiate. It proved tougher than this and after a long day out in the sun, it required every sinew and determination to will our way over a number of elevated outcrops of rock. By the time I had reached the gate, I knew I had been on a hike. We all agreed that it was a tribute to our level of fitness and good health that we completed the hike, notwithstanding our advancing years. |
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Watching kite surfers head off near Platboom. |
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The road into the reserve as it runs down he back of Judas Peak, Die Boer and Paulsberg, taken from Rooihoogte, just prior to our final descent to the main entrance. |
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Links to other websites: |
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