Exploring The Wild Coast 25 April - 3 May 2015
An eagerly awaited journey lies ahead of us, one that will leave us captivated in awe from the amazing scenery that is yet to be discovered…
Our team included: Ronnie & Cathy Drew, Steve & Maria Swanepoel, Ken & Maggie Peckham, Murray & Barbara Cowell, Anthony & Carol Morris, Gary & Debbie Buitendach, Lisa Coleman & Rory Neilson.
Day 1: Sat 25th April 2015 As the trip starts, we all met up at a bright & early 6am at Southgate Mall in Pietermaritzburg. Comparing our vehicles with regards to how much we packed & how it fitted in, from the small to the bigger vehicles…it's amazing what all you can fit in a vehicle when space is limited… We were all packed & set ready to go on our 9 day adventure. It was a long day of driving, travelling down to our first stop at Morgan's Bay, about 600km. We had the odd stop along the way, including our last refreshing ice-cream stop We reached our campsite at Morgan's Bay Hotel & Camping at about 4pm. A nice campsite right by the lagoon leading into the sea, lovely view. We set up camp & had a braai that night.
Day 2: Sun 26th April 2015 We woke up to a few Pied Kingfishers at the water's edge, right by our tents, then a few Crowned Hornbills also came very close, looking for left over food scraps. After we packed everything up, Rory & I went for a quick walk to look at the ocean, lovely rock pools & the start of some cliff edges at one end.
All set to go, we headed off at about 9am to our next destination. After the odd stop (including one to see an aeroplane called 'Eish Airlines' at the side of the road), we reached the Ferry Crossing at about 10am & crossed the Kei River by the mouth. The ferry only took 2 vehicles at a time but the crossing was a lot quicker than we expected.
Once we were all over onto the other side, we continued & now things started to change…4 wheel engaged & soon low range…now the fun began… The road went from dirt to grass to non-existent at times. We had the odd river crossing & muddy patches. We reached quite a rocky section going uphill which was rather interesting, a bit of a bumpy slipping & sliding task for some of us whilst others just cruised up & over. The amazing part was when Ant got a bit stuck & while the guys were helping him out we noticed a large tray of eggs lying perfectly on the back seat - not one was damaged on that bumpy terrain! Soon thereafter we were driving among the hills & started seeing the ocean in front of us, such beauty… We stopped for a bit of lunch, then reached Trennery's Hotel at about 13h30.
Still early in the day, so a few of us decided to carry on & visit the 1971 Jacaranda Shipwreck nearby. Lovely rocky beach, but sadly didn't see much of the ship remains, they say it's disappearing more rapidly & not much will be left to see one of these days.
As we drove around, the off road tracks took us through the odd marshy bit along the way & unfortunately one patch caught most of us, it was a much eroded steep incline, between soft sand & mud… So after a few tries, it was getting late, so brought out the tow rope…
Then got back to Trennery's about 5pm or so, a bit later than expected as our 'quick drive' turned into quite a scenic 4x4 route. We all set up camp for the night & made a braai again for dinner.
Day 3: Mon 27th April 2015 After packing up, a few of us walked down to get a glimpse of the beach next to the campsite before leaving. Beautiful views of lovely rocks pools & sand dunes next to the lagoon. Soon after 9am we head off for our next long bumpy drive to Dwesa Nature Reserve. We aimed for the short cut 4x4 route marked on the map, stopping for lunch on the way at Manubi Reserve near Mazeppa Bay - which had a trail walk to a 'big tree'. We eventually reached the 4x4 road which wasn't very visible. Steve attempted it first to see what it was like, but after a very steep decline & very rough part, he decided it wouldn’t be safe enough, battling to turn around to come back. So unfortunately we had to go back to the main road (which was still dirt though) & continue the roundabout way. We were a bit relieved to see a sign saying Dwesa was 47km away, but little did we know how long that was going to take us due to the road conditions… We started to see the sea again which was a good sight & eventually reached the Reserve around 16h30. A slightly different campsite to the rest, it was more rustic, limited ablutions & without electricity. I think everyone was a bit tired that night so we didn't braai.
Day 4: Tues 28th April 2015 We spent 2 nights at Dwesa, so it was nice to have a more relaxed morning & not have to pack everything up again. Most of us went for a casual drive around the Park to Dwesa Point & then we walked to find the O' Bell Shipwreck from 1916. Driving in the Park was very forestry, it was beautiful. Then we reached the green rolling hills alongside the ocean, such beauty. We stopped at one point & walked out along the rocks, instead of sand it was covered in tons of seashells, so we collected a few nice ones. We drove a bit closer to get to the shipwreck. A few of us walked down to the beach & out to the edge to look for the ship remains but unfortunately we didn't see much, but it could have been high tide when we went. There were some whale bones on the side of the bank which was interesting to see.
Back to the campsite, we had a few annoying monkeys around our tents… Took a walk to the beach near our campsite & saw 2 Black Oystercatchers on the rocks. Made the braai earlier this evening due to the limited light.
Day 5: Wed 29th April 2015 After 9am we left Dwesa & headed to our next campsite for 2 nights at Coffee Bay. We stopped along to the way to see a stone monument placed at the side of the road in memory of Dick King. We reached Coffee Bay at about 14h30. Nice little campsite with slightly more secluded but shady spots. But we camped as close together as we could. After putting up tents & having some lunch, Steve, Maria, Gary, Rory & I walked over to the beach, crossed the lagoon mouth & walked along the ‘main street’ to check the area out a bit. It has quite a rustic, hippy-like, laid back type of feel to it, I saw it being referred to as a place to indulge in some 'giggly twig' at times with drum circles & full moon parties. We were offered 'shrooms' a few times, ha ha 
But also known for things like good surfing, hiking trails & amazing scenery. That evening we could hear the bongo drums going in the near distance.
Day 6: Thurs 30th April 2015 A more relaxed morning, we took a drive to explore the beautiful area around us. We headed on to Hole in the Wall, the ever famous site to see if you're ever in Coffee Bay, only about 9km from the campsite. The road seems to have deteriorated a bit over the years, but you can still make it in a regular car with careful driving dodging potholes & eroded paths. Looking for a place to park, when we stopped we suddenly got hounded by many locals either wanting to look after the cars or be a guide to the Wall. But we decided to rather drive a bit further up the hill to find another spot instead. Then there we saw it - the beautiful view of the Hole in the Wall! What an amazing sight…
Steve, Anthony, Gary, Rory & I walked down the hill to get a closer view of the Hole in the Wall, amazing. Then Rory & I decided to venture up the Buttress next to it. Wow… It's hard to explain how captivated one can feel when standing in front of such a panorama. Standing in awe at the amazing beauty that surrounds you, it almost feels like you’re in a dream… It is times like that when you feel so small amongst God's creation.
It seemed like we could have stayed there for ages taking in the surroundings, but after taking tons of photos, we went back to the campsite for some lunch. Anthony however stayed there & walked along the path that runs next to the ocean back to Coffee Bay, which he really enjoyed.
Then Steve, Maria, Ronnie, Ken, Gary, Rory & I went for a drive to the Umtata Mouth. Another beautiful area, driving over the green hills at the ocean's edge to reach the mouth, where the lagoon winded around into the ocean. It was funny, we stopped at the bottom of this really steep hill & started walking around it, but Ronnie decided to be the first crazy one to drive up & over it instead, then the rest followed him on to the edge of the cliff. We headed back as the sun was starting to set for the day.
Day 7: Fri 1st May 2015 Once we packed up our tents we went to the beach to have one last look at it before we left, picked up a few smooth pebbles to remember it by. We took a drive back to Umtata Mouth to show the others that missed out on it the day before. It's amazing how quickly you get spotted by the locals when you stop somewhere you think is isolated. But they can be a bit of a pain because they tend to hang around & watch you as though they are watching a live performance, but it's worse when they always run at the side of the road as we drive past & shout 'sweets' to us, the odd kid attempts to throw a stone, but dashes like a lightening bolt if you stop after him. Some of the animals we pass along the road also don't so healthy & looked after unfortunately.
We headed onto our next destination for the night, The Pont at Port St John's. It felt a bit weird when we started hitting the tar road again after so long… We arrived there around 3pm, went through the town a bit to see it, but it was so jam packed as though it was market day. A few guys went into the Spar for a few items, then we drove to the end by the lagoon, what they call the Gate. Then off to the campsite to set up camp for the night by the river & braai. Bit of a noisy area though, not like some of the tranquil places we got used to.
Day 8: Sat 2nd May 2015 Packed up & headed off to Mboyti. We stopped off to see Magwa Falls on the way, a lovely high waterfall cascading over the edge of a cliff going into a beautiful gorge. Then we went to see Fraser Falls, this one was a bit further away in the distance on the other side of the gorge valley, but it was a beautiful area.
We reached Myboti early, around 1pm, so we had time to relax more whilst putting up tents & having lunch. A few of us wanted to explore more of this new area, so Steve, Maria, Ronnie, Ken, Ant, Gary, Rory & I went for a short drive up a few hills past the mouth, bit of 4x4'ing too…
Then Ant, Gary, Rory & I decided to walk back along the rolling green hills next to the rocky coastline.
It seemed like a short walk back, but it was worth the views climbing up rock faces & slippery grassy hills whilst the cattle just stood there gazing at us… It was a good end to top our journey off with
That night we all enjoyed our last braai together.
Day 9: Sun 3rd May 2015 Alas…our last day has come, it's nice to know we won't have to unpack the car & put the tent up again only to pack it back up the next morning, but it's sad to think that our 9 days of living in almost a dream has slowly come to an end & we will have to soon face reality & our daily regime once again…
We left at about 9am & made our way back to Pietermaritzburg, about 330km or so. The crew seemed to be slightly more tired now though as the radio commentary slowed down a bit. Ken & Maggie parted with us & headed on towards the Port Shepstone direction, then we stopped off at Kokstad for a quick bite & then continued on where we then parted with Ant & Carol, then slowly each one of us parted as we reached our homes near Pietermaritzburg.
Thus ends a great journey leaving us with some beautiful memories Thanks to Ronnie for organising the trip & Steve for assisting in the lead & everyone else who helped with everything, it was a great team & I'm sure we all had an awesome time!
By Lisa Coleman Dreamer Adventures