Rafting trip on the Orange River over New Years
January 3rd, 2009 by Conrad Stoltz
My friends from Stellenbosch organized a 4 day river rafting trip over New Years. We paddled South Africa’s biggest river- the (not so) mighty Orange. It runs through the driest part of South Africa and made for a truely memorable experience. Pine runs African Rafting and is a friend of a friend, so all 20 of us knew each other.
a long long ride on the back of a bakkie feels even longer under the desert sun. My dad, Bobby & Fran
After a long day’s paddle, Sunset beers & good stories. Warren is the fastest white boy in Cape Town and despite our thirst in the evenings, ran a brisk 10k in the mornings.
Although Warrens’ Winnie the Pooh chair only lasted 1.5 sits…
Evenings around the camp fire with friends.
Amazing early mornings. We didnt see another person till the 3rd day.
It was my dads’ 1st holiday in 13 years. (”Cattle dont take holiday, so why should I?”) It was great to spend time together in such a peaceful and serene place where South Africa’s biggest river flows through the desert.
Others had a harder time getting up early. Bobby is hiding under the down and Ernie is ready for another days’ harsh sun.
Pine made French toast for breakfast,
Francoinette Duct taped for blisters, (or is it Duck tape?)
And Irish sun screen. “Some Tulip you are, you know dat!”
I couldnt resist hitting the “deflate valve” on Ernie & Bobby’s boat. The thing got stuck and in 2 seconds ALL the air rushed out of the front half of their boat. Lets just say it caused a slight panic. And of course lots of laughs.
How the kitchen sink travels. Wikus is an engineering student, and this is his 3rd year guiding with Pine. His nick names ranged from Wikus to Ricus to Wimpie.
Pine really did pack for every occasion!
Irish sun tanning
After a long days paddle, Benita treats Pine for Paddlers’ shoulder. Or is that “Drinker’s shoulder”?
The Nama people are nomadic desert people and trek up and down the river after grazing for their goats. This is an abandonned Nama “homestead” with goat kraal. Its amazing how little these little desert people can get by with. A lesson well learnt. This year, “Less will be more.” Except for ass kicking…
This was standing near their settlement. At first I thought they cant live without their cable TV, (Actually in rural areas people put wire up a long pole to get radio) but there was no wire, so it must be something else. Art? Nama god?
My dad and I slept outside under thorn bushes.
Early on day 2 we hit a nasty little rapid where everyone (except the 2 girls) lost a crew member. Well, Bobby and Ernie lost 2 crew members AND held a wonderful garage sale in the process! Thankfully their camera was in a waterproof box, but their sense of humour wasnt…
You may notice here that one can stand pretty much anywhere in the biggest river in South Africa. Even the little Dechutes river in Bend, Oregon is bigger than this. Water really will become a major issue in Southern Africa. Millions of new homes have been springing up, each with a toilet and water, (previously a luxury) which will place a huge strain on future water supply. Also, clean water becomes a major issue, as can be seen with the Cholera pandemic happening in Zimbabwe at the moment.
Bobby doing what he does best. He was marvelling at a Fish eagle and was swept out of his seat by an overhanging branch. High entertainment value.
Bobby Behan, Ernie Gruhn, myself, Tim Ziehl and Warren Pettersen tight as tigers. Us 4 on the left shared a house (and many many adventures) back in 2000. Tim and Bobby are (were!?!) triathletes, Warren runs (and drinks) like a demon, but Ernie (the coaching/stock trading genius) is deadly on a mountainbike when he has his “Zippy Quads.”
On the bus on the way home. Tired, dirty and THIRSTY for New Years Beer!
South Africa really is much wider than I thought! We drove from the far east near Kruger Park to the far west near Port Nolloth and back. My dad and I drove the 1800km back to Mpumalanga in 1.5 days. We saw 1 cop the entire way. Literally 30 km from home!
Overtaking slower traffic…
My dad was stoked to be home with the rest of his family.
Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.
3 Responses to “Rafting trip on the Orange River over New Years”
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January 4th, 2009 at 9:51 pm
Amazing photos! Looks like you all had a great time.
January 7th, 2009 at 10:33 am
jammer ek het jou gemis in die “ZAR”. dis darem n lekker plek….
January 14th, 2009 at 1:10 am
Beautiful country!! Congrats on Melrad racing team. Awesome Idea.