In my previous issue of Letters from Africa (writes John Cockayne), I wrote about the race to the sea in South Africa over December for the summer vacation.
Well, as a family, we have just succumbed to the same ‘urge’, albeit in the winter (such as it is here – much more like a nice UK summer, if the truth be told!), and because we want to try out living at the coast again.
So, we packed up, put our worldly goods into storage in Hartbeespoort, and have planned a six months’ stay, to kick the tyres and look under the bonnet, just to make sure that we will in fact enjoy being back down at sea-level, before we semigrate permanently!
Our choice of coastal province is KwaZulu-Natal, and more particularly its sub-tropical south coast, (pictured above) which is framed by the Indian Ocean to the east and, generally, acres of either sugar cane, or bananas to the west i.e., inland.
During this region’s winter The coast is a paradise, especially from a golfing perspective, where the balmy days and coolish nights (with no trace of the humidity that can make mid-summer ‘hard work’ for many) often sees only the occasional breeze to ruffle the tops of the palms, as you try to decide what club to choose for your next shot.
The southern KZN (as KwaZulu-Natal is referred to here) coastline, is dotted with golf courses, almost like a string of pearls.
The string starts with the Wild Coast Country Club just over KZN’s borders with the Transkei in the Eastern Cape, but considered historically to be one of ‘ours’ in KZN, and is followed by Port Edward (a rustic, traditional and very welcoming 9 holes layout), San Lameer, Southbroom, Margate, Port Shepstone, Selborne, Umdoni Park, Penn Valley, Scottburgh and finally Umkomaas.
Eleven golf courses in total, which offer a universally warm welcome to visiting players, and a varying range of challenges, from the sweeping ocean vistas, and winds, at Umdoni and Wild Coast, to the immaculate conditioning of San Lameer, Selborne and Southbroom, and just about everything else in between.
To return to the theme of races, this province is famed for its annual versions of a number of these.
If we use length, starting with the shortest, as the determining criteria for the order of our discussion, then the first of these is the Durban July, which at about 4.5 m kilometres, is as much of a fashion statement and a place for the powerful, rich, glamorous and beautiful to be seen, as it is a platform to show off some the country’s finest horseflesh – for which it must be said, four and half kilometres is little more than a sprint!
Next in order is the Comrades Marathon – justifiably one of the world’s most famous ultra-marathons.
This race is run either ‘up’ or ‘down’ each year over 90 kilometres, between KZN’s commercial hub, Durban and the provincial capital – Pietermaritzburg, and which involved over 18 000 runners in the 2024 edition of the race, which was the 49th version of the ‘up-run’ i.e., from Durban to Pietermaritzburg.
Finally, there is the Dusi Canoe Marathon, which pits men, women, boys and girls in pairs, or singly, and their canoes against the mighty Msunduzi and Mgeni rivers in a race which is run over 3 days, and a total distance of 120 kilometres.
So, is that all?!
Well actually yes, if you are looking at races in which the hands, feet or knees (in the case of the jockeys), of ‘man’ plays any part.
But a BIG NO – if you consider that one of the greatest races in the world takes place along KZN’s shores, and often beaches first on the south coast of this province.
This race involves billions of competitors, takes place over the winter months in this region, and covers hundreds of kilometres along the eastern coast of KZN – it is of course the sardine run!
The enormous numbers of sardines (swirling in what are referred to as bait balls), create a feeding frenzy along the coastline, as the shoals can be more than 7 km long, 1.5 km wide and are often 30 metres deep.
The shoals are so large that they are clearly visible from low flying planes, high ground on the coastline, or from the surface of the ocean.
As races go – this one is huge, and in bio-mass terms the ‘event’ is right up there with, or bigger than, the largest, such as the annual migration of wildebeest across the Serengeti.
Those sardines know a thing or two, because the south coast of KZN, also known as the Hibiscus Coast or Golf Coast, is not only just about climatically perfect, for golfers, between April and early September, but also for Sardinops sagax (also known as the pilchard, Sardinops ocellatus – to give our humble toast topper his full and rather regal sounding Binomial Nomenclature) to make their way along!
OK, so it is a very popular stretch of coastline with sardines and golfers, but what will the non-golfers in a family make of the area on vacation, and what will they find to do?
If any type of a list is required, then who better to help with that question, than the character Rat from the classic tale The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame, as he lists the contents of a particularly fat wicker luncheon basket, to his friend the Mole:
‘There’s cold chicken inside it, replied the Rat briefly;
‘coldtonguecoldhamcoldbeefpickledgherkinssaladfrenchrollscresssandwiches
pottedmeatgingerbeerlemonadesodawater—-‘
‘O stop, stop,’ cried the Mole in ecstasy: ‘This is too much!’
Mole might say the same, if he were faced with; swimming-sunbathing-fishing-beachcombing-restauranting-boating-hiking-nightclubbing-windsurfing-kayaking-birdspotting-shopping-horseriding-mountainbiking-gamewatching-gambling-watchingcorocodiles-swimmingwithsharks…… to name just a selection of items on this KZN region’s ‘to do’ list, but somehow, I think not!
So, will we stay on this coast (called South Africa’s Mauritius by some!), and settle down?
With one our favourite hotels (the Beverly Hills at Umhlanga), just over an hour’s drive away, and all the golf and ‘things to do’ that the north coast, also known as the Dolphin Coast, has to offer, both KZN’s denizens and its visitors – I would not bet against it!
John Cockayne
Managing Editor:
The Business of Golf – Africa’s Premier Golf Business Publication.
Email : cathco@mweb.co.za
Mobile: 0027 73 8967931