Mike Simpson

Meiringspoort Rocks It’s a masterful road that snakes through the Swartberg, linking the Great and Little Karoo. MIKE SIMPSON pulls over to explore the geology, plant life and history Pictures Jeanette Simpson/OlivePink Photography and Ilse Zietsman June 2017 046 www.countrylife.co.za MEIRINGSPOORT w TRAVEL W e’ve travelled through Meiringspoort many times en route to the Garden Route via Beaufort West, always admiring the towering cliffs and distorted rock formations, the great scenery and many river crossings with mysterious names. This time, however, we stopped to explore this important route through the Swartberg mountains and the small communities at either end. “There’s great beauty here, you just need to stop and look,” Niekie Eksteen, co-owner of the Village Trading Post in De Rust, the village at the southern end of the poort, tells us. “We meet so many people who say it’s the first time they’ve stopped and it won’t be the last. They realise they’ve missed so much by rushing through.” Until the early 1850s, the area remained isolated until the sheep farmers of the Great Karoo petitioned for a road through the seemingly impenetrable barrier of the Swartberg mountains, to Mossel Bay Harbour. Under the supervision of Thomas and LEFT: The poort is part of the Swartberg Nature Reserve that lies between the Great Karoo and Little Karoo. It was declared a World Heritage Site in 2004. BELOW: The main stopover in Meiringspoort provides lovely views and excellent facilities for travellers. www.countrylife.co.za Andrew Bain, the first road was built in 1858. It was named Meiringspoort by the Bains, in honour of Petrus Johannes Meiring, a local farmer who had made the first crossing of the Swartberg at Meiringspoort, and had subsequently campaigned for the first road to be built. Tarred in 1971, the current impressive roadway is the result of a R70million rebuild following a particularly devastating flood in 1996. As we drive the 20km road of the poort, extraordinary scenery greets us at every turn. The soaring rock faces – once horizontal but twisted vertically by unimaginable forces – seem to close around us, making even the largest truck look like a toy. The geology is the consequence of cataclysmic upheavals of the Earth’s crust that began about 250-million years ago, and eventually formed the Swartberg range and Meiringspoort gorge. The upheavals exposed multiple layers of sandstone, each with a different drainage pattern, degree of erodibility and nutrient content. Niekie Eksteen is a Gauteng refugee who arrived a decade ago and still hasn’t tired of the poort. “It’s wonderful to be there early, say just after 5am, for a breakfast braai,” he says. “When the sun comes up and you hear the bird sounds, it’s a special sort of quiet and feeling. The energy from the mountains is unbelievable. Things change from moment to moment as the June 2017 sun comes up and the shadows move.” His favourite spot is the waterfall and deep rock pool at its base. It’s located close to the main rest stop, where legend says it is the home of a beautiful mermaid named Eporia. “Sadly I’ve never met her; she always seems to be away when I’m around. But I love to swim there and lie on my back and float. To just be...” If you tire of the waterfall, visit the excellent interpretive centre, also at the main rest stop. Here you’ll learn how the differences in the composition of the sandstone layers helped create such plant diversity. “Meiringspoort has very special plants,” says James Jafta, a field ranger with CapeNature, which administers the Swartberg Nature Reserve, part of the Swartberg Compex World Heritage Site, and under which Meiringspoort falls. “Seven plant species found here occur nowhere else, and botanists are amazed that tree species from Knysna Forest (150km away) grow alongside ABOVE: Each of the 25 river crossings has a unique name and story to tell. RIGHT: Petrus Johannes Meiring, after whom Meiringspoort is named. He was a local farmer who championed the building of the road. BELOW: The road through the poort in the 1920s. The tarring of the road was completed only in 1971. FAR RIGHT: Close to the main rest stop is a deep rock pool and waterfall where, according to legend, a beautiful mermaid named Eporia lives. June 2017 048 www.countrylife.co.za MEIRINGSPOORT w TRAVEL LEFT: Travellers can visit the excellent interpretative centre to discover more about the fauna, flora, geology and history of Meiringspoort. ABOVE: Samples of the wild geranium that grows naturally in Meiringspoort were taken to Europe, where the Duchess of Beaufort began cultivating them by 1710. succulents from the Great Karoo.” Meiringspoort’s greatest contribution, though, has been to the global geranium industry. The first wild geranium (malva) in the world was discovered here in 1689 and sent to Europe, where cultivation began in 1710. Although Meiringspoort lies within a nature reserve and world heritage site, it does have a few farms and some privately run accommodation. One of the farms, Meijer’s Rust, belongs to friendly Barry Meijer. It’s a working farm with 300 head of cattle and six eland – all of whom he fusses over lovingly. Visitors are welcome and he says the best times to visit are from August to November and from March to May. “We offer chalets, a cottage, campsites, 4x4 trails and a hiking trail,” says Barry. “The hiking trail rises 1 600m into the Swartberg and South Africans usually find it tough going, but expert hikers like the Swiss think it’s a doddle. “The poort is an ideal base for visitors who want to do a circular route taking in Prince Albert, the Swartberg Pass, Oudtshoorn and Cango Caves. You can do all that and still be back here in the evening for a braai in the mountains.” Beauty aside, the area is steeped in history. At the northern end of the poort, the village of Klaarstroom boasts a hotel built in the 1860s. We follow the signs to the main (and only) street, passing the handful of quaint, historical buildings. We’re met by the Klaarstroom Hotel’s www.countrylife.co.za RIGHT: Barry Meijer, owner of Meijer’s Rust guest farm in Meiringspoort. The farm offers a range of accommodation, plus hiking and 4x4 trails. BELOW: What is it about De Rust and strange, large animals in the main street? Niekie Eksteen’s Village Trading Post has an enormous cast-iron chicken outside. 049 June 2017 TRAVEL w MEIRINGSPOORT LEFT: Rusting old petrol pumps in the main street of Klaarstroom. Fortunately there are also more modern pumps in town and you can still fill up there on your way to Meiringspoort. AB0VE: AJ Koen awaits visitors on the wide stoep of the Klaarstroom Hotel he manages. BELOW: The historic Good Shepherd Anglican Church in Klaarstroom continues to welcome worshippers on a monthly basis. The church cemetery has two Anglo-Boer War graves. BELOW LEFT: Estate agent Ann Meiring with Jakkals. Her late husband was a fifth-generation descendant of Petrus Johannes Meiring, after whom the poort is named. affable manager, AJ Koen. He’s sitting on the wide stoep, seemingly taking in the view of Meiringspoort shimmering in the morning light. In fact, this vantage point lets AJ keep an eye on the hotel, adjacent bottle store and the nearby petrol pumps. If you need service at any of these, AJ is your man. “I like the quiet life here. The people are down to earth and the police station only opens for two hours a day; there’s no crime,” he says. Interestingly, the hotel was a filming location for the original ‘met eish’ Klipdrift brandy commercial. In De Rust, links with Meiringspoort run June 2017 deep. “My late husband Ryk was a fifthgeneration descendent of Petrus Johannes Meiring,” estate agent Ann Meiring tells us. “My father, Hans Haggard, used to bring dynamite by bicycle from Oudtshoorn during blasting work on the Meiringspoort road upgrade in the 1920s.” He was brave. One of the 25 river crossings in Meiringspoort is called Ontploffingsdrif (Explosion Drift) because a wagon blew up there when its cargo of dynamite became unstable on the rough road. The most famous crossing is Herrie se Drif (Herrie’s Drift), close to where Fast Facts n Several high-quality rest areas throughout TOP: Famed Afrikaans writer CJ Langenhoven chiselled the name ‘Herrie’ into this rock in 1929. Unfortunately the spot has been somewhat spoiled by more recent graffiti. ABOVE: Stephen and Tessa du Plessis outside their Malva Huisie B&B in De Rust. It’s named in honour of Meiringspoort’s most famous plant species. ABOVE RIGHT: A tree clings to the rock face near the spot where Langenhoven carved his ‘Herrie Rock’. renowned Afrikaans writer, CJ Langenhoven, chiselled the name ‘Herrie’ into a rock. Herrie was an imaginary elephant and the character in his book Herrie op die Ou Tremspoor, published in 1925. Travellers can still stop to look at his ‘Herrie Rock’. Just beyond the southern end of Meiringspoort is the village of De Rust, with Malvahuisie B&B in the main street, where we chat to owners Stephen and Tessa du Plessis. “We wanted a name that relates to the poort and thought that calling it after the wild geranium that grows there was spot on,” says Stephen. Across the road we’re surprised by a large pink elephant. It sits outside a local eatery and shop called Herrie se Plek and is another www.countrylife.co.za indication of Meiringspoort’s influence. “I’m from Gauteng, and we came here for the beauty and a quieter life,” explains owner Minnie Robson. What is it about De Rust and strange, large, animals? Wander down the quaint main street and Niekie Eksteen’s Village Trading Post has an enormous cast-iron chicken outside. “It’s imported from France. It was a little bit of country in our lives when we lived in Centurion and when we moved here it came too,” he says. “The gift shop next door has a giant metal ostrich.” Unique, beautiful, historic and a little eccentric. Why wouldn’t you want to stop here… n Map reference F4 see inside back cover 051 n n n n Meiringspoort have good ablution facilities and basic information about the area. The main rest area (on the left-hand side if you’re travelling south) is large and has ample parking for cars, buses and caravans. Braai facilities are available and the ablution facilities are clean. There is an excellent interpretive centre with extensive information about the fauna, flora, geology and history of the area. Adjacent to the interpretive centre is a waterfall and deep mountain pool. Visitors are welcome to swim here, so bring a costume and towel. Use the formal rest areas, as stopping on the side of the road in Meiringspoort is difficult and often dangerous. You cannot buy food and drink within the poort. The village of De Rust is your best bet. 4 u things yoow Go to didn’t knthe www.countrylife.co.za about Poort June 2017