I think back in the day we all learned about Bartholomew Diaz and how, in 1488, he was the first (known) European to discover what we know as South Africa today. I remember when I was in primary school, how we followed the 500th-anniversary voyage of the replica caravel from Portugal and visited it when it called in the Port Elizabeth harbour. Plus I think most of us have visited the Diaz Museum next to the famous Post Office Tree in Mosselbay where said replica is on display.
I wonder how many people have visited the site at Kwaaihoek where Diaz planted a stone cross at the turning point on the voyage, though? A camping weekend at Cannon Rocks meant putting aside a few hours for the 3km walk (a 6km return journey) along the beach from Boknes to the cross. The walk is best done around low tide when you can walk on the wet sand because at high tide you have to walk on the soft sand where you sink ankle-deep into the sand.
He left Portugal looking for a sea route to the East and travelled down the west coast of Africa. He rounded Cape Point without knowing in a storm and first set foot at Mossel Bay in 1488, where he planted a stone cross. From here he sailed on to present-day Port Elizabeth and planted a wooden cross on St Croix Island in Algoa Bay where the crew celebrated mass. By this time the sailors wanted to turn back home, but he persuaded them to sail for another three days. On 12 March 1488, a little west of Bushman’s River mouth, they dropped anchor at a headland, formerly called False Islet, now known as Kwaaihoek. Here, Dias erected his farthest stone pillar, the padrão de São Gregorio and then started the homeward journey.
The remnants of the original cross were rediscovered in 1938 by Prof. Eric Axelson. After a long search, he discovered some fragments of the cross buried under the sand and figured out that parts of the cross must have rolled down the slope and fallen over the edge of the cliff and into the beach and sea below.
A total of about 5000 fragments were collected and sent to the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg where it was put together and has been on display in the William Cullen Library.
This find led to a replica of the cross being erected in 1942 on the exact spot where Dias erected his Padrao and dedicated it to Saint Gregoria over four and a half centuries earlier.
The cross is located about halfway between Boknes and Bushmans River Mouth although the walk from Bokness is probably a lot easier than from the Bushmans side. The shortest walk is from an adjacent farm but then you have to cross the dunes and that is no joke. rather leave your car in the Boknes Beach parking area and follow the coast to False Islet (Fake Island) in the distance. Originally named so because it looks like an island in the distance. Returning to Boknes we hopped into the Boknes Lagoon to cool down before grabbing some pancakes from the parking area kiosk.
In closing, I have to say though. Don’t do the walk on a windy day. Don’t do the walk at high tide. And don’t do the walk in the middle of the day in summer. I can imagine any of those make it a lot tougher than on the day we did it. Imagine doing it in the middle of the day in mid-summer with a howling wind and at high tide. You’ve been cautioned.
