Today was a tough choice. Tsitsikamma National Park is one of those places labelled as an adventure capital. It just happens to be one of the most beautiful adventure capitals in the world. We only had one full day to see this so we held a family conference the day before. We wanted to get a balance of doing an activity that met the needs of all the thrill seekers in the family, didn't exceed the limitations of the chickens in the family and allowed us to actually see some of the beautiful National Park too. After discussing lilo tours down the river, forest segway tours and canyoning, fate ended up intervening and we found ourselves booked on a canopy tour with Storms River Adventures.
We had experienced something similar once before, but this was amazing. Firstly the safety features comforted Malcolm's assumed knowledge in this area based on a handheld stint on a helicopter service over a decade ago. It also ticked his budget requirements with the 3 hour tour coming in at under AUD50 each including lunch and drinks. The zipline runs themselves were exhilarating. A good number of high speed runs set in the most gorgeous ancient forest with bird species that we had never seen before even on TV. The guides were lovely and even the three people that completed our group were tolerable. (Where is the extended family when you want a group tour to instantly become private!?)
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| Excited to be ziplining |
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| On the truck on the way to the canopy |
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| In the canopy! |
After a simple lunch we decided to randomly explore the offerings on the way to Bramon Wines which was the halfway point home. We rejected the AUD23 per adult price tag to view Storm River Mouth and instead took the next dirt road off the main drag which led to Nature's Valley. If this was the bridesmaid then the groom must be a very lucky man! It is the place where Groot River (OK we may have followed this river just for the name) meets the ocean and it is stunningly beautiful. Dramatic cliffs, crystal clear waters, windswept empty beaches... and more sandy feet back in the car - and wet pants.
The afternoon was spent recuperating back at Robberg Beach Lodge. There was free afternoon tea to be had. The kids played Spielberg and produced a movie trailer in the hotel pool while we took a nap.
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| Natures Valley where the Groot River met the ocean |
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| No one around us! |
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| The free afternoon tea that was provided |
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| The children making a video |
Finally we headed off to dinner at a random pick called
Zinzi. Jackpot! We assumed that it was just a restaurant in town, but it was actually in the middle of some amazing grounds that we later discovered was a hunting lodge! Being here made us understand where the theming for Tiffins comes from. This definitely would be a two credit restaurant at Walt Disney World! Despite that, the wonderful food and service was the same price as counter service. No dining plan needed here folks! The coffee came in at whopping AUD2.80, cheaper than your average Sydney cafe!
OK, off to bed, we have a long drive ahead of us tomorrow.
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| Zinzi grounds |
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| Gorgeous gardens |
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| It seemed strange to need to sit next to a fire and under a gas heater in summer in Africa! But it was cold! |
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| Tapas style entree with home made bread |
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| Beef tartare |
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| Voted by the whole family as the best calamari ever |
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| Baked camembert. Absolutely amazing! |
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| Duck breast |
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| A massive ostrich burger! |
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| Vietnamese style salmon |
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| "affogato" pannacotta |
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| The stunning entrance |
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