|
GREETINGS FROM A SUNNY SPRING DAY IN CAPE TOWN,
This month started with a flower tour as far as the Copper Mine Area of the Namaqualand in the Northern Cape. I am sure most of you have already had a chance to travel to see our famous annual spring flowers on the West Coast. The flowers in the Postberg Nature Reserve were absolutely amazing.
Lunch at the well known Geelbek Restaurant was out of this world, and everyone enjoyed it. Do remember always to book well in advance as they can get very busy during the flower show. Traveling up on the R27 and also along the coast on our way to Clanwilliam, was like passing a picture as there were flowers everywhere in many different colours forming a carpet along the roadside.
 
Our next stop was between Graafwater and Clanwilliam where we were privileged to meet Chris and
Annette at Elandsberg Tea Plantation. The evening we slept over at the Clanwilliam Lodge and had
a wonderful Dinner, and a good night’s rest. www.clanwilliamlodge.com
Red Gold from the Cedarberg
It is one of the miracle plants of the world, and has been used as a medicine for perhaps thousands of years. Today it is consumed my millions all over the world as a refreshing tea. It is used in the preparation of natural cosmetics, skin care products and as a basis for medicines. It is rich in anti-oxidants, has a calming effect on the nervous system, has strong anti-inflammatory as well as anti-allergic properties, assists the body in blocking the production of cholesterol. It contains no caffeine, very little tannin and a wide variety of minerals, albeit in small quantities.
This is Rooibos – Aspalahtus linearis – endemic to the Clanwilliam / Cedarberg area.
Today Rooibos is cultivated in plantations over large areas around Clanwilliam and Van Rhynsdorp as well as in the Piketberg / Aurora area. Up to about 55 – 60 years ago plantations were unknown. When it was harvesting time – late summer and autumn – the farmers used to go into the veld to harvest the Rooibos growing wild.
Visitors to the area who want to see what Rooibos is all about can go to Rooibos Ltd in Clanwilliam where they will be shown a short video. Alternatively they can contact Elandsberg Eco Tourism on the Groenkol Rooibos Tea Estate for a safari tour of the plantations and the processing plant.
 
We had the amazing opportunity of visiting Nieuwoudtville , where we saw the Nieuwoudt Falls, the Glacial Rock Striations which date back to over 280million years. The Quiver Tree Forest and of course the Matjiesfontein Padstall, which is about 20km out of town, where we did a journey through many, many flowers. Nieuwoudtville is of course also the global mecca for botanists because of its unique bulb concentration. Sir David Attenborough filmed parts of his documentary ‘The Private Life o Plants’ here in Nieuwoudtville. www.nieuwoudtville.com
 
After leaving Vanrhynsdorp we set off to visit Christine Visser at the Knersvlakte Kombuis who gave us a wonderful
talk on the Indigenous Succulents in the Knersvlakte area. She then directed us to the vast Quartz field on a nearby farm, where we could see how these minute plants have had to adapt to the extreme harsh conditions in the area. It was amazing to see how these small plants just seemed to grow amongst the quartz, that keep the soil moist after the rain and also shields the plants from the harsh heat of the sun in summer.
Vanrhynsdorp was founded as a Mission Station in 1751 and is now known for the largest succulent nursery of its
kind in the world. www.kokerboom.co.za
 
At Kamieskroon we met up with the well known Namaqualand Lita Cole, whose knowledge of the local flowers
in the Skilpad Wild Flower Nature Reserve was absolutely astounding. She could tell you everything about each
flower or shrub she came across. She is high in demand by Botany specialists from all over the world.
Kamieskroon was established in 1860 known for its farming and wild flowers, plus one of the best (unknown)
mountain-biking areas. www.northerncape.org.za
 
Springbok as most of you know is another flower area in the Northern part of the Province, where we also encountered History of the Anglo-Boer War and History of the Cape Copper Mines stretching as far as Port Nolloth, Nababeep, O’Kiep and of course Concordia.
Nababeep can have three meanings in Nama, depending again upon the pronunciation – ‘the place where
the Giraffe drinks’, ‘the water behind the little hill’, or ‘where the rock is carried’. The farm Lelykepad, alias Nababeep was granted to Pieter van Zyl in 1850. It was later sold to 3 Mine magnets in 1852 and in 1899 it was reported that it was by far the most promising of the trial mines. It is interesting to know that the village was entirely company controlled which resulted in a complete lack of documentation concerning its history, as its only history was written up in the documents of The Cape Copper Company and these were destroyed between the time The South African Copper Company stopped operations and the time the O’Kiep Copper Company took over the Namaqualand mines. Namaqualand was named after the nomadic Nama tribe of the Khoi-Khoi who were killed
in large numbers (50-70%of them) by German colonizers from 1904 to 1907. www.namakwa-dm.gov.za
A visit to Goegap Nature Reserve to see the flowers was also an eye opener. goegap@outlook.com
 
From the Northern Cape we ventured towards the coast and made a stop at Strandfontein and Doringbaai where
we had lunch at Fryer’s Cove. Wonderful Seafood and amazing salads, plus some Wine Tasting. The afternoon we
travelled to Strandfontein where we had accommodation at the Seabreeze Guest House overlooking the beach and later in the afternoon sat watching the sunset before enjoying a scrumptious Dinner by candle light. We fell
asleep listening to the ocean lapping the beach, as it sent us off to dreamland. www.strandfontein.co.za
 
Early the next morning after a wonder breakfast fit for a king, we set off towards Citrusdal and ventured our trip over
the Middelberg Pass, unfortunately still gravel but not too bad to travel on. The valley was covered in blossoms of
white, pink and dark pink. Descending down it was amazing to look down onto the Ceres Valley as we entered the small village of Prince Alfred Hamlet before getting to the Tolhuis where we were going to have some local cuisine at the foot of Mitchelle’s Pass. This was to be our last stop before returning to the hustle and bustle of the Mother City of Cape Town. It sometime does one the world of good to just escape for a few days into the country and what is more relaxing than to visit our wonderful West Coast and Northern Cape to see the annual Spring flowers.
We hope to give you more news about our beautiful country in our November Newsletter,
Wishing you all a wonderful October and may you have many Tours or Guests coming your way shortly, getting you all geared up for the Summer Holidays.
 
We would like to hear if there is any part of the Country you would like to know more about, which we could visit
and give you some more news or information.
Are you visiting Cape Town for the School Holidays, then we have great news for you. Seeing that it is Tourism Month,
Table Mountain Cableway has a wonderful surprise for the locals. As Cape Town and the world geared up for the World Tourism Day on the 27th September, they are running with a variety of amazing specials for most of the year.
Children Season Special: Two children ride for free with every paying adult on week-ends, public holidays and during the school holiday until October 31. This special includes a free treasure map and sweet treats.
Seniors Special: Fridays are seniors’ day at the Cableway. Show the friendly ticket office your ID document and receive a discount on your ticket. Pensioners also receive a tasty meal discount voucher for pie, chips and salad, a filter coffee or tea and a slice of milk tart to be redeemed at the Table Mountain Café.
Birthday Special: A free birthday ticket for all SA residents are available all week long. Remember to bring your ID document to our ticket office to claim your ticket. Please note this offer is valid for SA citizens over 18 years and older.
Sunset Special: Summer time means epic sunsets. Get your half-price Cableway ticket from their ticket office or online at www.tablemountain.net and join them for this must-do experience from November 1st to February 29th (excluding 19th December to 3rd January 2016.
Think you know everything about Table Mountain? Think again!
* Table Mountain is approximately 260 million years old.
* The cable cars travel at a maximum speed of 10m per second and can hold up to 65 passengers –
more than a bus
* Table Mountain’s cloudy “Table-cloth” is the stuff of legends: The cloud comes from a smoking contest between
the Devil and a local pirate called Van Hunks.
* There’s a water tank in the base of each cable car, which can be filled with water to serve as a ballast in windy
conditions.
The Cableway operates seven days a week, weather permitting, The New 7th Wonder of Nature.
Until next time,
Warm regards and God Bless,
Thought of the Day: Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking lies. Psalm 34:12.13
PSALM: 27:14
Corbett Tourism Consulting, Marketing and Tours
P.O. Box 11535, Bloubergrant, 7443
Cape Town, South Africa
Mobile: +27 (0) 747 092 502 / 073 1409 700
elainecorbett@ctcmarketing.co.za
|
