28 August 2025
We have booked a half-day tour of Cape Town this afternoon and have the morning free to go and visit the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens that are tucked under Table Mountain.
We organise a taxi from the hotel to take us to Kirstenbosch and get there just as a free walking tour was about to start – we decide to joint them. Our guide Ardré is a font of knowledge about the gardens and their history. The Cape area has more biodiversity in a small area than most of the worlds floristic regions. The gardens were formed by Prof Pearson who previously worked at Kew and was horrified to find that there was no botanical garden here. The Botanic Garden specialises in endemic species from the Cape region. It is fascinating to see how many have been brought to NZ.
There are predominantly proteas and ericas in flower – such a wide range of different species. Also lots of Strelitziers (bird of paradise flowers) – including a special yellow variety that was presented to Nelson Mandela. Later we saw a tree strelitzier – falsely called wild banana (especially when you see it side-by-side with a real wild banana). All the flowers attract a number if different nectar feeder birds – we see a double collared sunbird and a sugar bird.
Went through the Cycad amphitheatre and saw the last remaining specimen of Wood’s cycad in the world. Also saw green and ripe female cycad cones. Dinosaur sculptures seem very appropriate set into the cycads.
We saw a male Spotted Eagle Owl and were shown where 2 couples are about to nest but unfortunately didn’t see any others. Volunteer guide Ardré tells us that one time they had owlets jump out of the bushes onto the path in front of them – but no such luck for us today.
Egyptian geese are everywhere. We saw a mother with her goslings honking loudly to scare us off. Guinea fowl are everywhere too.
We walk over the tree canopy walkway (called the Boomslang – meaning tree snake) that is built to resemble a snake curving through the trees.
We ran out of time to sample typical South African food at the gardens restaurant but did manage to grab a sandwich at the café before our driver came to pick us up.
In the afternoon we have a half day city tour booked. Guide/driver Redaa picks us up and introduces us to the only other passenger (Giacomo from Italy). The tour starts with Table Mountain so we opt for having a coffee at the base because we had got such magnificent views yesterday (we had booked two tours including Table Mountain just in case the weather was bad to give us a second chance).
We drive past the Slave Lodge, which is one of the oldest buildings in Cape Town with a history spanning more than 3 centuries. It was originally built in 1697 by the Dutch East India Company to house enslaved people brought there to work for the company. The lodge initially accommodated 500 individuals in overcrowded secured conditions.
Then we visit the brightly coloured houses in the Bo-Kaap area (literally meaning ‘above the cape’ in Afrikaans). These had their origins as rental accommodation for slaves brought from Malaysia. Once the slaves were liberated, they gradually became able to buy the houses (often combined allowances from people living together) and are said to have painted them in bright colours to show others that this was achievable.
It was a shock to learn about the Race Classification Board during Apartheid in South Africa. Each inhabitant was required to be classified and registered in accordance with their racial characteristics. There was a sliding scale of 7 different classes and often led to different classification within families based on arbitrary measures, for example, curliness of their hair (would a pencil stay inserted). We also hear about how mind games were played: e.g. deliberately spelling their names wrong on documentation so always difficult to do anything. Non-whites had a 6.00pm curfew and it was very difficult to get home from work on time especially when they were deliberately detained by police along the way. Even though apartheid finished in 1991, some of the mindsets are still deeply ingrained e.g. curly hair vs straight – some still wear wigs.
Unemployment is now at 39% in South Africa. After Mandela, the government chose a route of corruption rather than progress for all. In Cape Town city, they decided to help provide employment for under 25 youth – gave training and are now parking wardens, security for tourists etc. There is still a massive gap between haves and have nots. As we drove in from the airport we saw a slum area with signs ‘danger area do not stop’.
Our last quick stop is at the Castle of Good Hope (usually it is only a back-up plan in case Table Mountain is closed due to bad weather but we convince Redaa that we’d like to visit). The Castle of Good Hope is the oldest existing building in South Africa and was set up as Refreshment Centre for Dutch sailing ships – it was originally located on the coastline but now, following land reclamation, it is now quite a way inland. Following restorations in the 1980s it is considered the best preserved example of a Dutch East India Company fort. There is a large function in marque that evening but Redaa got us in for a quick look.
Although we had had a big day, we decided that because it was our last night we should go back to the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront area for dinner. We find a restaurant with a balcony overlooking the harbour and order cocktails and a seafood platter. We are told that the Victoria & Alfred Hotel is in the same chain as The Onyx that we are staying at so they will be able to arrange a taxi home for us.
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