Kings Beach – the good, the bad and the ugly

Every now and again one comes across a gem that you did not know existed, like this wetland at Kings Beach, which is made brighter by these gazanias.In the background you can see one of the fuel tanks at the tank farm and the manganese ore dumps, that will hopefully be relocated to Coega. These have always been a blight in the area and all efforts to have them moved, up to now, have proved fruitless.

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Kings Beach – harbour wall

It is a comfortable walk from the Kings Beach parking lot to the harbour wall. There is always something happening in the area. On some days you will see dolphins swimming past, or you can watch the water sport, or just enjoy the the variety of sea birds that frequent the area.

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Kings Beach – a place of contrasts

In the thirty years that we have lived in Port Elizabeth, we could probably count the number of times we have been to Kings Beach on one hand. The reason being that we have always gone to other beaches. Today I felt the need to go for a walk and while Sue was busy preparing for an exhibition, I took a stroll on Kings Beach and had such a good time, it could become one of my favourite places.

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Aviators

Time to take a break from climbing bell towers and checking out the view and have some dinner. Tonights choice is Aviators Pub and Grub, which is located in Allister Miller Drive alongside the Airport. It has a distinct aviation feel and atmosphere and serves a great steak.The aircraft is an Impala MkI. It was used as a trainer in the SA Airforce but has long since pensioned off.

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Campanile #6 the clocks

This is a multi-tasking tower. It is a bell tower, a monument, and a clock tower. This latter function was not working too well until recently, as the clocks had stopped. Because watchmakers are becoming a very rare breed, and maintaining large clocks like this is an expensive business, the City Council battled to sort out the problem. Luckily the funds and expertise finally came together and the clocks are now running like.... well.... clockwork! Here is the mechanism that…

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Campanile #5

Back at the Campanile, no longer looking outwards, but upwards. We were very lucky to be allowed into the bell tower, so we can share with you views which few people have seen.The Campanile boasts 23 bells, the most in any tower in South Africa (the next one in Gauteng has 10). It is an extremely tight fit up there, even trying to stitch pictures together is impossible, so we can't really show them all, but they are lovely. I…

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Still in the country

Another picture taken at Homeleigh farm (see yesterday) as the sun went down. The little wooden tower is part of the kid's play area.

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Pastoral Bliss

We still want to show you a few pix in the Campanile series, but my laptop is caput, so until it is fixed they will have to wait. So let's go for a stroll in the country instead.On the outskirts of town are several areas of small holdings and small farms. One enterprising owner along the KraggaKamma Road has turned his farm into a popular place incorporating a Touch farm, where kids can come and interact with a wide assortment…

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Campanile #4

In showing you so many images of the historic areas and beachfront on this blog, there is a danger that we could give the impression that this is a quaint holiday resort. The truth is that, despite being a delightful place to visit and live, PE is primarily an industrial city, and at the heart of the industries which drive the City's economy is the motor industry. Here, while catching our breath at the top of the Campanile, and looking…

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