celliers – Page 18 – celliers kruger

Umzimkulu River – Thrombosis Gorge

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Thrombosis Gorge, or “Thrombi” as it is commonly known, is one of the most popular technical sections in the country. The section includes Thrombi Falls, an 11m waterfall that is probably the most regularly run waterfall in the country.

Ideal for : Kayak
Grade: 4, at high level 5
Length: 1) 8km 2) 25km
Duration: 1) 2-4 hours, depending on amount of scouting. 2) 6-7 hours
Type: Pool-drop
Put-in: Bridge across river. First turn-off to Coleford from R617 when coming from Bulwer to Underberg.
Take-out: 1) Farm 2) Polela confluence
Levels paddleable: Look at low-level bridge at put-in. If small pillars are under water, the level is very high.
Dam controlled: No
Permits: Permission from farmer at first take-out

Umzimkulu River – Drakensberg Gardens to Second Coleford bridge, aka Drakensberg Challenge

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This section of the Umzimkulu River is mostly used by K1 racers, and an annual two-day race, called the Drakensberg Challenge, is held over the course described here. The start is not far from the source and the river is very small here, but small tributaries feed it constantly, so it gets bigger as one progresses downstream. The water is very clear on this upper part and the escarpment can be seen from the river, making for a pleasant experience.

Ideal for: K1
Grade: 1 to 3
Length: 60km
Duration: 2 day race
Type: Small river with long flats and technical rapids
Put-in for first day: 7 Kay bridge, on the way to Drakensberg Gardens
Take-out for second day: Second Coleford bridge
Dam controlled: No
Permits: None

Polela River

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The Polela is one of the Umzimkulu’s significant tributaries. It is a technical creek which is only recommended for competent kayakers with proper scouting skills. There are a couple of waterfalls on this section, but they are easy to be portaged. They can be shot by experienced kayakers, but scout properly and don’t attempt if you are not a hundred percent sure.

The rapids are all runnable but some are very steep and tight. At medium to high levels a few nice playspots can even be found, although most paddlers on this section won’t be too worried about playing. Some of the rapids have nasty pour-overs that should be missed or precisely boofed. If you are not faced by this description, enjoy the ride.

Ideal for: Kayak
Grade: 3 to 5
Length: 23km
Duration: 4 to 6 hours
Type: Pool-drop creek
Put-in: Bridge where R617 crosses river
Take-out: Confluence with Umzimkulu, road comes close to river
Dam controlled: No
Permits: None

Umtamvuna River

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The Umtamvuna River forms the border between KwaZulu-Natal and Transkei, and the last 40 km of the river to the sea goes through what is arguably the most stunning gorge in South Africa. Some big walls can be seen, with thick tropical vegetation. This must be the closest you can get to a tropical jungle in Southern Africa. It is unspoilt for the most part and extremely remote. Once in the gorge, it is virtually impossible to walk out.

Ideal for: Kayak
Grade: Mostly 3 to 4, some bordering on 5
Length: 44km
Duration: 8 to 10 hours, depending on water level. Preferably a 2 day trip.
Type: Technical pool-drop, some sections continuous
Put-in: Road from Port Edward to Izingolweni. Turn off to Umtamvuna Water Purification Plant. Don’t enter plant, take road down to river (+-3.5km). Where powerlines cross road, take track to left. Walk down from here or use 4×4 (+-1km).
Take-out: Old Pont Caravan Park just outside Port Edward, on road to Izingolweni
Dam controlled: No
Permits: Pay at take-out

Losing to gain

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The reputation of Wits Explorers has taken a fair amount of abuse over the years because of deaths on two of its expeditions. In all honestly, it must be said that considering the nature of the expeditions they attempted, and the time at which they were attempted, the explorers did very well indeed. It must also be said that we, paddlers collective, are sometimes just plain lucky that things don’t turn out worse on some of the trips that we undertake.

“I dedicate this to Duncan and Kirsty who taught me more about rivers than did anyone else in my career.” – HduP

LEAVING Senator House on Wits Campus, I bumped into a Wits Explorers poster advertising a Kunene River expedition during my summer holidays. I immediately decided that I was going. Rather arrogantly, without any thought that the expedition might not want me. Read More

Transkei Missions – part 1

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Every expedition starts with an idea. The idea grows until someone gets interested (or obsessed) enough by the idea to put a plan in action to make it happen. This process can take weeks, months, sometimes years. Getting to run the main Tsitsa Gorge was no different.

THE Transkei – literally meaning “Across the Kei River” – conjures images of endless mountains and valleys, inhabited by traditional Xhosa people and their mythical forefathers’ spirits. It’s a true image, but not the whole truth. The Transkei boasts the type of raw beauty that only Africa can deliver, where spectacular natural scenery goes hand in hand with poverty, violence and corruption. It’s a part of South Africa that feels so remote from the civilized world that it could just as well have been in Africa’s heart of darkness. Read More

The process of design

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Few things in life are as satisfying as the process of R&D, short for Research and Development. Not every project goes through exactly the same phases, but in general the process goes like this:

Identify an existing opportunity in a market, or identify a need that can be created, or get forced to create a solution for a pressing problem, or get talked into a project by a friend, or get a design brief from a client.

Orange River – Blouputs to Raap-en-Skraap

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This stunning piece of the Orange River in the northern Bushmanland passes through a largely unspoilt landscape. Indigenous trees line a 50m green strip of oasis along each river-bank before giving way to the multi-coloured desert. Apart from some minor rapids and some interesting channels between islands, a peaceful trip on flat-water is guaranteed.

Grade: 1 to 2
Length: 60km
Ideal for: Canoe, touring kayak, raft
Duration: 2 to 5 day, depending on craft
What to expect: Long flat sections, small rapids, many channels and islands, great scenery.
Dam controlled: Vanderkloof Dam, Bloemhof Dam
Access: Public land at put-in. Take-out on private property.
Download Google Earth doc

Vaal River – Parys downstream

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The Vaal River below Parys is the busiest stretch of river in all of South Africa. A number of commercial operators offer rafting trips from town, and Gauteng kayakers call this their home run. As a matter of fact, a number of kayakers have moved to Parys over the past 15 years to take advantage of the lifestyle that the town offers, much of which centres around the river.

This section of the Vaal runs through the Vredefort Dome, a gigantic crater caused by a massive meteorite striking the earth, about 2000 million years ago. That was way back in time, and the Vaal had enough opportunity since to carve a path through the granite koppies. Today it is a paradise for nature and bird lovers. The surroundings and the many islands have dense vegetation, creating the perfect habitat for numerous birds species and other animals.

Grade: 2 to 3
Length: 12-15 km
Ideal for: Kayak, croc, K1, raft at high water
Duration: 2 hours to full day
What to expect: fun rapids, a long flat section, many channels and islands, lots of bird life
Dam controlled: Barrage Click here for water level
Access: Put-in on public land, take-out on private property.

Tankwa magic

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Ever since I read “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” way back as a student, I knew that I would have a bike one day. But like many good things in life, it took a long time before it became a reality. In fact, I didn’t even plan to be riding by now, it was on my “to do in the distant future” list.

Early last year, while chilling in China, I got a whatsapp from my buddy Jacques Holtzhausen. It was a short message: “Ek jeuk” (I’m itching). Followed by a picture of a motorbike. My response was just as short: “Ek’s in” (I’m in). By the time I arrived back in South Africa a few days later, Jacques was already well versed in motorbike nomenclature. I had to catch up quick.

Fast forward a few months, and we found ourselves in the Tankwa Karoo, a semi-desert region a few hours’ drive northeast of Cape Town. In December, of all months. The heat became a formidable challenge, but nonetheless we had great rides on some magical roads. The open skies, the expansive land and the endless dirt roads are the perfect ingredients for the type of trip where memories are made and pictures are taken. With cellphone cameras, nogal.