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The Sunshine Coast of the Eastern Cape is a long stretch of wide beaches that are some of the finest in the world. These beaches are bordered by high dunes where terrestrial vegetation begins to make a foothold and are filled with a unique ecosystem of their own.
KENTON ON SEA
The Sunshine Coast of the Eastern Cape is a long stretch of wide beaches that are some of the finest in the world. These beaches are bordered by high dunes where terrestrial vegetation begins to make a foothold and are filled with a unique ecosystem of their own. These beaches are punctuated by broad tidal estuaries along which coastal resorts have sprung. About ten kilometers from Cape Padrone, where the African continent begins its northwards course to the tropics, are the estuaries of the Bushmans River and the Kariega River, lying in close proximity to each other. On this peninsular is the resort town of Kenton on Sea, an increasingly popular holiday destination. Kenton has some splendid beaches not only on the seashore but also the two rivers where sailing fishing and waterskiing is popular. Inland there are a number of game reserves in the rolling country side. The primary vegetation in these reserves is the Eastern Cape Thicket which has a carrying capacity for wildlife that exceeds most other vegetation types.
There are a number of other resorts along the coast, in the near vicinity of Kenton on Sea. Across the Bushmans river is the little village of Boesmanmsriviermond, further down the east are the resorts of Bokness and Cannon Rocks. Cannon Rocks was so named because of the discovery of old cannon on the rocks in front of the village. It was later discovered that these cannon came from the Portuguese galleon Sao Joao Baptista which along with her sister ship the Nossa Senhora de Atilihia were involved with a running battle with Dutch ships along the Eastern Cape coast. The Atilihia was wrecked further up the coast at Chintsa.
Near to these resorts is the premonitory called Kwaaihoek which is where Bartholomew Diaz, the first European explorer to round the southern tip of Africa in 1487 reached the furthest point in his travels in 1487. He erected a small stone cross on the headland before turning back. The cross was toppled into the sea by local Khoi San after his departure and the remains were discovered in a rock pool nearly five hundred years later. The original is now in the university of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, and a replica has been erected in its stead.
Source: Courtesy Eastern Cape Tourism Board - www.ectb.co.za
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