ralphpina.com » Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve

Kayak Rooiels-Pringle Bay, Kogelberg Coast

Ralph — Sun, 30 May 2010 18:19:47 +0000

Rooiels coast

On this crisp morning, Deon and I launched at Rooiels and paddled out to look for the first Southern Right whales of the season, but it seems it’s still too early. So we settled for a paddle down the coast to Pringle Bay and brunch.

A fairly heavy swell was running and we gave the point break at Rooiels, the scene of an earlier mishap, a wide berth and settled into an easy rhythm. Although glassy, the waves that reflected off the rocky coast made the water confused. We were none too keen to risk the beach break at Pringle Bay, but we found a sheltered, rocky channel behind the kelp beds and landed easily. A short walk followed by a healthy brunch in the sun meant that we were well into a perfect day. Helped by a following sea and a light southerly we powered back to Rooiels, beached without mishap and so exorcised the ghosts. A round-trip of 15 km. It was silent on the water save for the rumble of surf on rock – and thankfully the motorbike fraternity doesn’t seem to do Saturdays…

The Google Earth map follows below…

View Larger Map

www.flickr.com

Hiking in Kogelberg

Ralph — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 14:06:08 +0000

The Kogelberg Biosphere and Nature Reserve is my playground. When we’re not kayaking here, we are hiking its many routes. Kogelberg is the jewel in the crown of the Cape’s floral kingdom protected areas that make up the World Heritage Site.

To quote Cape Nature’s brochure: “Kogelberg…represents perhaps the finest example of mountain fynbos in the Western Cape”. Approximately 1600 plant species of which about 150 are endemic, are found here. The reason for its near pristine condition has been its long isolation from development and agriculture, although in the last decades ribbon “development” of the coastline has boomed, resulting in the unsightly coastal towns that are common on our coast. A prime example of bad taste and low-density sprawl is perhaps Betty’s Bay, with Kleinmond a close second. One of the results has been the increased frequency of fires in the area mostly emanating from human settlements. Although the ecology is fire-driven, the fires are occurring at intervals that are too short and some species may disappear as a result.

Below are Google Earth tracks of some of the hiking routes in the reserve. With time I will add more.

If the track doesn’t appear in the window above or you don’t want to install the plugin in your browser, then download the Google Earth Kogelberg file and view it in Google Earth (download Google Earth)

Sea kayaking in the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve

Ralph — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 12:29:30 +0000

On most weekends, Deon and I paddle and sail this coast, spending countless enjoyable hours.

Spring is whale season off the South Africa’s Cape coast.

A Southern Right whale surfaces close to Deon off Steenbras mouth

The Southern Rights cruise the sanctuaries in their hundreds. On this day Deon and I paddled around to Steenbras River Mouth from Gordons Bay half hoping to see some. In the mouth in about 20m of inky water we almost paddled over a pair of adults.

They tolerated us for a while as we snapped some photos, and then slipped away as silently as they had appeared.

Below is a Google Earth track of some of our trips along the Kogelberg coastline.

For a while we used a triangular sail on the double kayak, but lost it off Rooiels when a line came undone in a nasty south-easter and it proved too difficult to derig from the cockpit. We have plans to rig our own sail of a different design. The kayak is a lot of fun under sail and we have reached speeds of 13 km/h in an 11 knot breeze – but the sail must be manageable when things get rough…

Here’s a slideshow of photos from these weekend trips:

Sea kayaking from Hangklip to Gordons Bay

Ralph — Sun, 14 Nov 2004 09:43:50 +0000

A 40km paddle along some of the most beautiful coastline in the Cape – Cape Hangklip to Gordons Bay. (“Hangklip” = “Hanging Rock”)

The fire-scarred mountains between Pringle Bay and Rooiels beckon. Deon gives his best piratanical scowl.

Rooiels from the sea. The mountains of the Kogelberg Nature Reserve rise green in the distance. The reserve is now a World Heritage Site.

Rooiels beach - about halfway. We estimate that we paddled 40+ kms in total. It took us about 5 hours.

Rooiels beach - time for a beer. We would need all that energy despite the apparent tranquillity in the background.

This is some of the most beautiful coastline in South Africa. Unfortunately, bikers roar along the coast road most weekends. Out on the water it's silent except for the reflected scream of the bikes. It's not as if they're enjoying the scenery; how can they at 140km/h? The mentality defeats me...

Kogel Bay mountains. The sea is calm and cormorants, seals, Cape gannets and penguins share it with us. But an hour later the water became confused as the onshore swell and chop reflected off the sea cliffs. We had to paddle solidly for 2 hours to stay upright. A diver tells me later that a dive site north of Steenbras is known as the "washing machine".

Google Map of kayaking tracks on the Kogelberg coast - click on the image

Palmiet River walk

Ralph — Mon, 30 Dec 2002 19:43:06 +0000

Kogelberg Nature Reserve: December 2002

The Palmiet River winds through the core of the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve. The nature reserve protects the most pristine and diverse fynbos in the Cape Floral Kingdom. There are a number of hikes of varying length in the reserve, but a favourite is a walk up the river. It’s very easy, but beautiful. How beautiful? Here’s a taste…

Kogelberg is now part of a World Heritage Site in recognition of its biodiversity value. The flower photos were taken on 7 November 2004, during a late spring in the Cape.