varioussalvageattemptsto retrievethetreasure
shewasbelievedto havebeencarrying.“Ofthe
123 survivorswhomadeit to shore,onlysix
menreachedPortElizabeth,wheretheyraised
a search-and-rescuepartythatreturnedto
findseveralofthewomenandchildrenliving
withlocaltribespeople.Thefateoftheother
survivorsis subjectto speculation.”
Theo,whohadappliedto workonthe
developmentofElonMusk’sTeslaelectric
cars,seemedbemusedbya tunnelinitiatedby
theGrosvenorBullionSyndicatein 1921.To
befair,it wasdifficultto seehowthedesigner
hopedto preciselylocate,andpopupbeneath,
thesunkenwreckage 100 metresoutto sea.
A coupleofhoursofmeanderingalong
beachesandcoastalpathstookusto a raised
rockyplatform.“Welcometo Champagne
Mile,”saidGarth.Thesprayscreatedbywaves
crashingagainsttherocksweremesmerising,
likewatchinga fireworksdisplay,withfull
soundandlighteffects.Asthelastofthe
sunspreaditslightontothebackdropwe
roundeda boulderto findourgroundcrew
brandishingbubblybottlesandglasses.Clever
choreographingwasevidentthroughoutthe
trail,butthiswasinspired.
Thenextmorningwehikedfrom
Luputhanatentedcampthroughgrasslands
filled with butterflies – swallowtails, yellow
pansies and African monarchs. Garth explained
that we were in the heart of the Pondoland
Centre of Endemism, a botanical hotspot (one
of only 131 in the world) that stretches from
Port Edward to Port St Johns. “Most of the
special plants that occur nowhere else in the
world are found in the deep, inaccessible
anddenselyvegetatedgorges.”
Wepickedourwayarounda narrowtrack
wheretheMlambomkuluRivercrashesoffthe
cliffsome38mintothesea,oneofthreerivers
thatcascadeoffWaterfallBluff.Aswestopped
fora breakat a dramaticandprecipitous
viewpointoverlookingCathedralandKeyhole
rocks,Matthewgamelyscrambleddownto
a rockyplatformfora photoshoot.
Anundulatingsectionthroughlonggrass
tookusto anidylliclunchspotontheCutweni
River,wheresmallorchidsclungto thetrees.
Lazyafterthebreak,wesloggedupa bighill
studdedwithorangewatsonia,andpickedour
waydowna steep,rockyslopeto thebeachat
Drew’sCamp.
“OneofthereasonsI chosethistrailwas
so I could photograph cattle on the beach,”
explained Hilldidge, as she tried to compose
a photo of a cow and its reflection, while
scuttling away from incoming waves.
After a swim, we followed the coastal path
to Mbotyi River Lodge, installing ourselves
in wooden chalets overlooking the lagoon and
Indian Ocean. The site was initially developed... we rounded a boulder
to find our ground crew
brandishing bubbly
bottles and glasses. Clever
choreographing was
evident throughout the
trail, but this was inspiredABOVE: The Mlambomkulu Waterfall tumbles
38 metres off the cliffs of Waterfall Bluff. BELOW
LEFT: The photogenic, free-standing Cathedral Rock
seen from Waterfall Bluff. BELOW RIGHT: Matthew
Holt is a speck on the ridge in front of Key Hole Rock.HIKING ◗ PONDO TRAIL