port elizabeth

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Egyptian goose on Kings Beach lake

Have you even noticed that you will always find Egyptian Geese where ever there is water.  Lakes, dams, rivers, ponds and even on the off chance a backyard pool.  When the Boardwalk development opened in Port Elizabeth some years ago it wasn't long before a pair moved in and they have been there ever since, hatching their chicks every year.  The same has happened at the new Kings Beach development with a pair moving in very soon after completion.  I…

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02/09/2013
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Port Elizabeth – a century of being a city

Exactly one hundred years ago, on 28 July 1913, Port Elizabeth was declared a city.  It doesn't mean that Port Elizabeth is 100 years old, because its not.  Its much older than that.  The first settlement in Port Elizabeth started to develop around Fort Frederick after its completion in 1799 and it was officially named by Sir Rufane Donkin after his wife Lady Elizabeth in 1820 when he came to Algoa Bay to oversee the landing of the British Settlers.  A couple of events have been…

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28/07/2013
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Shark Rock Pier on a sunny day

Everybody loved the beach in summer, but there is no reason not to love it in winter as well.  Specially on a warm sunny day like today.  Only difference is you can't go for a swim.  Personally I think winter is the best time for long walks on the beach or the adjoining boardwalk.  At least the sun doesn't burn my ever growing forehead as much.

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16/07/2013
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Sharing my passions with the KidZ

I'm very fortunate that both the KidZ adore the outdoors.  They're mad about camping, they're addicted to geocaching, they love travelling and exploring and are slowly starting to show an interest in photography.  All this means that I can share my passions with them and we can always find something new to do or somewhere different to go.  I'm just not sure I want them to start blogging any time soon cause then I'd never get to use my laptop.

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12/07/2013
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Aloes on the Swartkops River

Clan Firefly is heading over the Zuurberg into the southern Karoo tomorrow for a couple of nights at Kuzuko Lodge and Ann's Villa.  We're starting out at Kuzuko Lodge for the first night before moving on to Ann's Villa for the next two.  Kuzuko Lodge is a 5 star lodge and lies in a private concession in the northern part of the Addo Elephant National Park while Ann's Villa started out in 1864 as an inn on the Zuurberg Pass when it…

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10/07/2013
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Boardwalk Hotel lights

The Boardwalk Complex in Port Elizabeth has always been a beautiful sight at night but since the completion of the new 5 star Boardwalk Hotel and Convention Centre it's become an absolute visual feast for the eyes.  The lights become even more obvious when seen from inside the Boardwalk Complex itself where it reflects off the Boardwalk lake.

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20/06/2013
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The Sacramento Trail in pictures

Following Thursday's post on the Sacramento Trail in Port Elizabeth I noticed that I had preciously upload a whole series of pictures taken along the trail on a recent outing.  It's been sitting in my drafts folder all this time waiting to be posted and I think it will serve as a follow up to the previous post. The trail follows the coastline from Schoenmakerskop to the turning point at Sardinia Bay, four kilometres away.Part of the trail actually follows the beach and…

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27/05/2013
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Meandering on the Sacramento Trail

The Sacramento Trail is probably Port Elizabeth's most popular day hike around the city.  The hike starts in the village of Schoenmakerskop and follows the coastline to Sardinia Bay over a distance of 4km before returning along the bridle trails on top of the vegetated sand dunes.  The 8km trail includes beautiful bays and coves, stunning views and even a little bit of history.  The trail is named after the Sacramento, a Portuguese galley carrying a cargo of cannons, that wrecked…

6 Comments
23/05/2013
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International Penguin Day

The 25th of April is Internation Penguin Day and with Algoa Bay being home to the biggest population of African Penguins in the world I thought I would do a post to celebrate it. The South African Marine Rehabilitation and Education Centre (SAMREC) is located in the Cape Recife Nature Reserve in Port Elizabeth and the staff and volunteers involved there do an amazing job in the conservation effort of this endangered specie.Why is 25 April celebrated as International Penguin…

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25/04/2013
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Kids party at SAMREC

 "A birthday party with 20 kids! Are you mad?" Just one of the comments I got when I told people that Chaos Boy has invited 20 kids to his birthday party this past weekend. "What are you going to do with them? They'll wreck your house!" Another couple of comments.  Well, I asked Chaos Boy what he wanted to do for his birthday party and he decided that he wanted to take his friends to go and see the penguins…

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24/04/2013