Addo Elephant Game Reserve, Port Elizabeth – A region east of the Sunday’s River and north of Port Elizabeth. In about 1931, about 680 ha. was enclosed to form the Addo Elephant National Park. The name is of Khoikhoi origin and means ‘poison ravine’, named after the succulents which grow there. The male African Elephant are the largest extant terrestrial animal and can reach a height of 4 m and weigh over 7 000 kg. All elephants have several distinctive features, the most noticable being the long trunk or proboscus, used for many purposes particulary breathing, lifting water and grasping objects. Their incisor teeth, grow into tusks which can serve as weapons or tools for moving objects and digging. Elephants’ large ears flap, to help control their body temperature. Their pillar-like legs can carry their great weight! Elephants are herbivorous and can be found in different habitats including savannahs, forests, deserts and marshes. They prefer to stay near water, ie. the Sundays River! One of the biggest threats to the elephant population is the Ivory Trade, as these animals are poached for their tusks!
Sundays River Mouth and the beach that accompanies it are awesome reflections of the beauty of the Eastern Cape. The river itself is spectacular, and the mouth’s waters are calm and warm; ideal for swimming, fishing or just cooling one’s feet. The Sundays River Mouth is situated on the southern boundary of the world-renowned Addo Elephant National Park. The beach boasts some of the highest dunes in the country and remains relatively untouched. The hot white sand and cool river waters are just perfect, whether you are looking to have a family day in the water, a romantic picnic for two, or a sundowner after a long day. The double-decker Sundays River Ferry is the ideal way to experience the river, and promises awesome views and a few impressive bird sightings. It is said to be the fastest flowing river in the country. The Sundays River flows in a general southeasterly direction, passing the town Graaff-Reinet in the Karoo before winding its way through the Zuurberg Mountains and then past Kirkwood and Addo in the fertile Sundays River Valley.
Addo Drift, Sunday’s River in the Eastern Cape – Addo Drift was the first convenient natural crossing of the Sunday’s River to be encountered inland from the sea, and was frequently used by visitors travelling from the coast into the South African interior. A military post was erected there in about 1815, and in 1823 its land was granted to William Wright, a land speculator who had arrived at the Cape Colony in 1820.
Sometime between 1823 and 1830 he used the site to build the Zondags River Inn, probably using the foundations of the old post. In 1832 he sold the inn to Joseph Hubbard who, in his turn, sold it to Samuel Webber in 1837.
Webber already owned the Wayside Inn on the opposite side of the river. The property then changed hands at least three more times until it was purchased by Edward Tunbridge in 1848. By this time it was known as the Elephant and Castle, and remained in the hands of the Tunbridge family until 1905. In time the inn became known as “Tunbridge’s”,
The Sundays River or Nukakamma (Afrikaans: Sondagsrivier) is a river in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It is said to be the fastest flowing river in the country. The Khoisan people originally named this river Nukakamma (Grassy Water) because the river’s banks are always green and grassy despite the arid terrain that it runs through.
The source of the 250 kilometres (160 mi) long Sundays River is in the Sneeuberge (the highest mountain range in the former Cape Province) near Nieu-Bethesda. The river then flows in a general South/Southeasterly direction, passing the town Graaff-Reinet in the Karoo before winding its way through the Zuurberg Mountains and then past Kirkwood and Addo in the fertile Sundays River Valley. It empties into the Indian Ocean at Algoa Bay after running through the village of Colchester, 40 km east of the city of Port Elizabeth.
Alan Straton
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