We camped out at Cape St Francis over Easter weekend for three nights and one of the missions that I set for myself was to get a nice Seal Point Lighthouse picture at sunset.I missed sunset on the first evening to say the least. We got busy and by the time I realised the sun was down... well, it was too late. So I ambled over the dunes with my camera and tripod and set up for an evening shot…
We went to camp at Cape St Francis over the Easter weekend. On Sunday morning I decided to take the trail westward along the coast as indicated on the resort's info sheet to see if I could find the wreck (apparently what is left of The Osprey which ran aground in 1855) and the blow hole marked on it. Unfortunately the tide was too low to find the blow hole and, well, there wasn't much left of the wreck to…
On our way back yesterday from our weekend in Cape St Francis I decided to see if the Van Stadens Pass is open for traffic since the road has been fixed. What a delight it was to see that after several years of being closed to traffic the pass was open again. Driving down the vegetation changes from fynbos and bush to indigenous forest. Stopping at the old bridge at the bottom, one can get out and look up at…
A couple of recreational fishermen fishing off the rocks at Humewood Beach. In South Africa you need a fishing license to fish in the ocean or any public (anything not in private ownership) fresh water dams and rivers. A license can be obtained from the Port Office at a nominal fee.
A local fisherman paddling up the calm Sundays River at Colchester. It is funny how many people think the river is named for the fact that a lot of people go out to Sundays River over weekends and specially on Sundays to go and enjoy the river and its environs. The name actually comes from the Zondagh family that farmed higher up in the river in the 1800's.
No 7 Castle Hill must be the most beautifully preserved historical house in Port Elizabeth and was built in 1830 by the Rev Francis McCleland who was the first Colonial Chaplain in the city. Today it is an historical museum furnished in the style of the mid-Victorian era. The original charming cobblestone in the backyard was retained and the hand pumped well was restored and is in running order.
One of the stone crosses on top of The Hill Presbyterian Church in Central. Happy Easter.
This 450 hectare Van Stadens Wildflower Reserve lies 40 km west of Port Elizabeth on the N2 to Cape Town. It is the best place near PE to see lowland fynbos with flowering Proteas and associated fynbos endemics. I used to stop there quite often in my tourist guiding days and there is always some kind of protea in bloom. In this case there were lots of pin cushion proteas in flower on this specific day I was there. The…
I can for the life of me not remember what the ranger said this grasshopper's common name is, but I will put it in when I remember of find out. The Pyrgomorphid Grasshopper (Family Pyrgomorphidae) is a grasshopper in all the sense of the word as they can fly. Their wings are under developed and their hind legs are designed for jumping. They make no sound and is fairly slow moving. Their bright colours warn predators that it is poisonous…
One of the competitors in a 4x4 challenge at Bishpig Adventure Camp off Kragga Kamma Road misjudging the distance to the hole and tipping over. Driver Jeff and co-driver Winneray was ok and went on to complete the rest of the challenges without further mishaps.