KAIA MANZI TO PILANESBERG, SOUTH AFRICA--Tuesday, March 25, 2014

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Kaia Manzi to Pilanesberg--Tuesday, March 25th. 227 km (137 miles)



Misty this morning but was mainly burned off by the time we left the campground at 7:30.

Worked our way back through the road construction to the N-4 toward Pretoria. At exit 27, we left the toll-way and turned on R-515 toward Cullinan; then turned to the 513 into the Cullinan Village. The Village is comprised of the individual homes, built mainly of rock in a Dutch style, that were used by the bosses/managers to live in, while employed with the Cullinan Diamond Mine. Valerie walked around the Village as the homes have been turned into cute shops for artists to show their work. There was also a small park with used/old machinery and information about the history of the mine set out behind a cafe. The group hung around the cafe/coffee shop having coffee and snacks until they were ready to give us a tour.

The first part of the tour was to see a video about the mine, but seemed more of a “we do things right” piece now that the mine has been sold, and no longer in the DeBeers family. After this video presentation, we were given hard hats, and were walked to an outbuilding where the guide showed us reproductions of the various famous diamonds taken from this mine (The Hope diamond, Elizabeth Taylor’s diamond, etc.) and then some of the cuts made from the raw hunk of stone. The biggest one, measuring 3,106.75 carats, was named The Cullinan Diamond. The jewel, obviously named after the mine’s owner, was sold to the South African government, which then presented it to King Edward VII on his 66th birthday. It was cut into nine major stones and approximately 96 smaller diamonds. The “Star of Africa” was the largest, and is mounted in the scepter of Queen Elizabeth and is now housed/displayed in the Tower of London.

The guide also told a story of how Mr. Cullinan tricked the original landowner out of the true value of his property. The story goes that the farmer refused to sell the land or to allow them to check to see if diamonds were indeed on the property. So, pretending to be a cattle inspector, they were let onto the farm. The Diamond hunters then got a cow and declared it sick and was needing to be killed and buried. By digging the burial plot where they suspected the diamonds to be, they found the vent with diamonds. Eventually, the heirs sold the farm never to realize, until it was too late, what they sold so cheaply. I guess it is a “seller beware” kind of story, but I sure wouldn’t tell it as part of my history, if you want me to think well of the company.

We then walked to where the mine was operating and looked at the cars bringing up the raw material to be sifted, much like gold, for diamonds. Most of those found are industrial grade and are sold/used for cutting and polishing. We then walked back to the show room where you could purchase diamond jewelry in the famous Cullinan cut.

After the tour, the group gathered at a nearby restaurant for one of the best lunches/meals we have had on this tour. It was a buffet style, but the food was very good with a tasty squash soup to start and pork roast in apricots as an entree. We haven’t had much pork on the menus here-–mainly chicken, lamb, beef, and game venison (like kudu) has been served.

We continued driving on the R-513 until we could hit the N-1 toll-way. After a few kms we exited at the 156 exit for the N-4 and shortly paid a 10.50 Rand toll at Doornpoort. Lots of sunflowers grown here as well as huge mines dotting the landscape–-coal, platinum, and other minerals are mined in this area. At Brits Plaza, we paid another 10.50 Rand.

After driving about 40km, we exited at 225 onto the R556 to Pilanesberg and Sun City. When we made this exit we were on a two lane road that went through the middle of several communities and we were immediately back in the midst of lots of pedestrians and domestic animals on the road.

After stopping for several stop signs and proceeding straight ahead, we came to a 4-way stop and turned right for the Golden Leopard Resort and the Manyane Gate to Pilanesberg National Park. Went into the resort reception to register as we would be camping here at this private resort. We tried to schedule a sunset tour but they were all booked. The brochure said they had bird tours but apparently those had been discontinued. We then went in through the gate to the camping area. As we swung around a curve near some tents, I was extremely excited to notice a couple of Hoopoes on the ground pecking, in the dirt.

I wish to digress a bit here. I ordered/bought a “Birds of South Africa” book prior to leaving home and carried the very heavy tome with me. When I got the book, of course I looked at the different birds and Valerie and I discussed the ones we would really like to see. For me, the silly looking orange black and white Hoopoe was one I wanted to see and the book said they were very common and found all over South Africa in people’s yards and gardens. So for 30 days, I looked for the odd bird. The naturalist I talked with said, they were all over Pretoria, so since we were going to go there last, I thought I might have a chance at seeing one—now here were two of them when I wasn’t really looking for them. “To put a cherry on the top of my sundae,” since we were on the campground road and not on a windy, curvy, no shoulder road, Valerie could get a picture. The birds are not as solidly orange as the book has them, but they are still silly looking with their long slender bill and very peeked/pointed head that looks like they are wearing a court jester’s hat.

Found a spot under a tree and facing the back area with trees and scrubs where we could look for animals and birds. Well, there were a huge flock of Helmeted Guineafowl, and more than we wanted to see of, wart hogs and doves. We were warned of prowling monkeys and baboons again.

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