Tag Archives: Noordhoek

Chapman’s Peak to remain closed

Despite a public commitment to re-open Chapman’s Peak later this month, the Entilini Concession has informed the Western Cape government that it will not meet its deadline, due to the weather, the construction worker strike, and the delay in construction material delivery (the material previously came from Switzerland, but the supplier has gone bankrupt, and it now has to be imported from Japan), which hampered and delayed construction on one of the most beautiful scenic drives in South Africa, according to a report in the Cape Argus.

 

The route, which links Noordhoek and Hout Bay, has been closed for over a year, due to rockfalls, despite having been extensively rebuilt in the past few years to prevent rockfalls.

 

Given the monies that the Western Cape government has to pay Entilini if the drive is not open, cynical Capetonians are saying that it is not in the interest of the company to re-open the route, and therefore are calling for the cancellation of the contract the Western Cape province has with the route operator.

 

No new re-opening date has been announced for Chapman’s Peak.

 

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Argus Cycle Tour opens Chapmans Peak

Chapman’s Peak is to re-open especially for the Argus Cycle Tour on 8 March, the Cape Argus reports.   Race participants will have to sign a special indemnity, and agree to use the road at their own risk.   The opening of the road is subject to the safety of the 30 000 cyclists participating in the race.

The MEC for Finance, Economic Development and Tourism Garth Strachan met Cycle Tour representative Ken Sturgeon, and agreed to re-open the scenic road between Hout Bay and Noordhoek, which has been closed for the past few months since heavy winter rains caused heavy rockfalls. 

The province has also agreed to investigate the reason for the continued delays in re-opening Chapman’s Peak, a popular tourism route, and important link to the city for Noordhoek residents.

Cape Town in glowing German TV spotlight

One of the largest German TV channels, ARD, broadcast a wonderfully positive one and a half hour movie called “Traumhotel – Kap der Guten Hoffnung” (Dream Hotel – Cape of Good Hope) last night.    It will be the most positive PR for the city in the German market, which no S A Tourism or Cape Town Tourism budget could afford to pay for in terms of exposure and positive communication.

Although stretching credibility a little by throwing in a side-story about a wonderful game reserve at which wild animals like elephants, giraffe, rhino’s, gnu and other buck walk around the actors as if it is the most natural thing in the world, the scenes shot in Cape Town captured the beauty of the city, and focused on all the most scenic spots, including Table Mountain, The Sentinel in Hout Bay, Seal Island off Hout Bay, Cape Point, the V & A Waterfront, Boulder’s Beach and the penguins, killer whales breaching (killer whales are rarely seen in Cape Town), dolphins (not seen that regularly), the Mouille Point lighthouse, Muizenberg Beach, Greenmarket Square, Noordhoek beach, a Constantia wine estate, and even some shots of a township.  

The main action of the story was set in the Table Bay Hotel, of which the hero of the movie is the General Manager.  He is so well connected that he can organise the move of a soccer stadium to be built from the township to an undefined new area, and can help save the theft of baby lions by poachers at the game reserve.   Not much of his time was spent managing his hotel in the movie!    An impressive cruise liner was also in Cape Town harbour when the movie was shot.

Not one negative aspect of the city was reflected in the movie – it was a glowing testimony to one of the most beautiful cities in the world!    All that was missing was some action at Camps Bay beach, although the closing shot was of the Atlantic seaboard.