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Rock climbing at Van Stadens

After a couple of recent posts (including Wildflower Reserve Trails and Under Van Stadens Bridge)that covered the Van Stadens area, I received an email from Derek Marshall with a couple of pictures.  They were about, as he puts it, one of the more unknown aspects of PE.  Rock climbing.  I did a quick bit of research and found the following.  The Van Stadens River Gorge have 154 sport routes ranging from grade 17 to grade 34.  There are a couple of spots around the historic…

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25/11/2013
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Biggest sundial in the Africa

The biggest sundial in Africa and the Southern Hemisphere can be found somewhere in South Africa.  "Where in South Africa?" I hear you ask. Cape Town? You're cold.  Johannesburg? Very cold. Durban? Still cold. Port Elizabeth? Getting warmer. Where then? Its located in the humble Gamtoos Valley town of Hankey.  The Hankey Sundial was completed by local farmer Mr Dirk Schellingerhout in 1989 to commemorate the town's 160th anniversary.  The dial is located at the entrance to the town and just below Vergaderingskop, the final…

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24/11/2013
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PE landmarks

The Donkin Reserve with Route 67 is my favorite photographic location in Port Elizabeth.  There is so many different subjects to photograph and so many different angles to use.  Over the years the Donkin Memorial (Pyramid) and the Hill Lighthouse has become iconic landmarks in Port Elizabeth and is well worth snapping a picture of.

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24/11/2013
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Summer is coming

I've realised how few beach photos I've been posting over the last couple of month, but its been winter after all.  Last weekend I went for a walk along the beachfront I suddenly realised that summer is around the corner and people will be flocking down to the beaches again very soon.  Not that the weather's been very cold lately, but continuous summer weather will be very welcome and I can't wait to get back in the pool or down…

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23/11/2013
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The supposed to be closed open door

Today's post may not be of an landmark or attraction around Port Elizabeth but rather a bit of a quirky sight I encountered during a Hinterveld Mohair Mill tour I was on the other day.

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22/11/2013
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Harbour beacon

Although it looks like a lighthouse it isn't a lighthouse, not quite.  It does have a light though.  What is it then and where did I see it?  It is a beacon at the end of the breakwater forming part of the Port Elizabeth Harbour wall.

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21/11/2013
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Boardwalk Hotel from the sea

The Boardwalk Hotel and Convention Centre has really changed the beachfront skyline since it opened a year ago.  I've heard that some people think it looks out of place while comparing it to a Disney like castle while others absolutely love it.  But love it or hate it, the hotel and convention centre has become an integral part of the city's leisure, business and events tourism landscape and a great asset to Port Elizabeth.  The photo was taken while on a bay cruise on the…

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20/11/2013
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Framed African Sunset

For some people a sunset is a sunset is a sunset.  Just something to end the day with.  Then there are others which include photographers and travel writers (and I say writers because that goes for both print media and bloggers).  Those who grab their cameras when the sun starts to dip towards the horizon, the clouds start to colour and the most ordinary things become objects to silhouette against the changing sky.  Some photographers go on recces to find the best spot to set up their camera…

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19/11/2013
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The Donkin Mosaic Steps

Approaching the Donkin Reserve and Route 67 from the City Centre side, visitors can either walk up the Mosaic Steps or the winding Voting Queue path.  The Mosaic Steps by a group of mosaic artists are quite interesting as it starts with dark colours at the bottom and the higher you climb the lighter and more vibrant the colours get.  The steps with the different colours represents a journey that starts in the darkness and turbulence of the past, progressing to…

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19/11/2013
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History of creativity frieze

Although most people who go to see the art pieces on Route 67 just go up to the Donkin Reserve, the route actually starts down at the Campanile.  One of the first art pieces one can see when down there is the Campanile Frieze by Mkhonto Gwazela.  The frieze celebrates the indigenous heritage of Nelson Mandela Bay and the Eastern Cape through visual images cast into a curved concrete beam.

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18/11/2013