Boknes (On the R72 -- Near to Bushmans River) beach walk to the Diaz Cross -- Saturday 6th March 2021

 

Boknes (On the R72 -- Near to Bushmans River) beach walk to the Diaz Cross -- Saturday 6th March 2021 

Faye and Ally enjoying the beach walk to the Diaz Cross at Boknes.  

Saturday 6th March 2021

I have a group of 23 walkers who join me for a hike from Boknes beach parking area to the Diaz Cross.   It is a walk of about 3km each way.   We leave from home (Port Elizabeth now called Gqeberha) at 8.00am and arrive to start the walk at 9.30am.   We start hiking at 9.45am.  The hike, including time for a picnic and a swim, takes us just over 3 hours.  

On the trail today:  In my vehicle -- Ally;  Janny;  Gillian;  Faye;  Janice;  Angela and Hebe.  Others who leave from PE are Marylise and Megan;  Kholeka;  Ingrid and Cheryl.   Some people opt to meet us there:   Jeanne and Glynette;  Janice and Kristin Giddy;  Vinki (Elizabeth);  Heloise;  Shannon and Carla;  Ayanda;  Lungi and Vuyo

We walk into a strong Easterly which blows sand into everything.   However when we get to the Diaz Rock we have  a wonderful Sheltered area for a picnic and swim.   We walk up the wooden steps to the Cross.   A great deal of picture taking.   Kholeka loses her cap so I have to take a precarious edge walk to retrieve it.   Hebe;  Janny and Gillian leave a little early to get a head start.  Then after all the picture taking we all walk back to the cars.  

On the road back home we stop off at Nanaga for a coffee and snack.  

We arrive home at about 3.30pm.   Windswept; Salty;  Sandy and satisfied that we have lived today.  

Regrouping on our beach walk to the Diaz Cross

The Diaz Cross rock

Hebe and Gillian battle against the wind

The Gap Rock where we picnic and swim

Friends from PE Running club days.   Shannon; Ayanda;  Vuyo and Lungi

Our picnic area is completely sheltered against the East Wind. 

Ally and myself on the beach near to the Diaz Cross

The boardwalk which I call the Via Dolorosa

Gillian leads the pilgrimage to the Cross

The pathway that leads up to the Cross is well constructed and has stood the test of time. 

Our beach walk.   Rough seas with a strong east wind. 

Janice and Kristin Giddy

Angela and Janice.  

Back to the Cars. 

At the cross with Glynette;  Vinki and Jeanne

Janice and Angela

Lungi;  Vuyo and Ayanda on the deck at the Cross

Faye is on the edge of the platform. 

Faye shows off her PE Rocks which she will place somewhere on this trail. 

Cheryl and Ingrid.   

Cheryl has not been able to walk for sometime.   Ingrid is fairly new to the group and is now becoming a regular

The picnic area.   Beautiful sheltered area with rugged rocks

On the walk with Gillian; Janny and Faye

I explain the trail and introduce the group.  

A Ray of sun filter down to the beach  --- pointing the way to the Cross

Kholeka has a wonderful walk today.  Fit as anything she enjoyed the day. 

Megan; Kholeka and Marylise travelled together

Faye; Gillian and Janny are great friends on these hikes

At the Boknes beach.   

Looking down from the Cross to a sea that is rough but has these crystal clear pools below. 

Kholeka has a Jerusalem Cap.   It blows off down onto the dunes below.  So I have a walk on the edge of the dune to retrieve the cap. 

At the cross.  Ally takes a group pic.   

Peter Giddy

 interesting fact: the Dias cross structure you see there is not the original "cross" from Dias, but a monument erected to show more or less where he anchored. Also, it was very badly vandalized a few years ago and they has to build a whole new cross, so what you see there is only a few years old.  My parents live there and we've been visiting Boknes and my parents regularly for the past 30 years.

At Nanaga on the way home.   Coffee and a pie.  

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Relaxing at Nanaga after a great walk at Boknes beaches.   Jeanne;  Vinki;  Peter;  Glynette and Janny

This turned out to be a wonderful cove with no wind and a bit of shade.   Perfect for our picnic break

The seas were wild in the easterly wind

Foot prints in the sand as we make our way to the Diaz Cross

Heloise has her two dogs with her.   Mainly on a leash ...   Well behaved and trained.  They caused no upset to our walkers who loved having them in the group;   Nor did they cause any upset to the Fishermen on the beach.  

Rock Climbing with Marylise; Kholeka and Megan.  

Diaz Cross Memorial

The Diaz Memorial Cross at Kwaaihoek near the Bushman's River Mouth, just outside of Alexandria, is a provincial heritage site. Bartholmew Diaz was a Portuguese navigator, and the first European to set foot on South African soil, and discoverer of the Cape. The Portuguese sailors planted many padrao or stone pillars along the coast during their ports of call in the 14th and 15th centuries. These padrao were sandstone pillars with the cross of the Portuguese flag chiselled into the face to mark territory discovered by the early explorers.

Diaz Cross is about a 3km walk which takes between 40min and an hour, from Boknes and a 6km (1.5 - 2 hours) from Bushman's River Mouth. From Boknes it is a very easy walk - in fact on a clear day one can see the cross from the Boknes parking area. From Boesmans one walks over (or around if the tide permits) Kwaaihoek to Diaz Cross. This walk is recommended for low tide. Look out for many marine creatures in the rock pools at Kwaaihoek; on the beaches look out for whales and dolphins.

The Diaz Cross Memorial at Kwaaihoek is one of three crosses erected by Bartholmew Diaz when he navigated the Cape coast in the fifteenth century, on his epic journey seeking a route to India, with a squadron of three ships, two caravels and a square-rigged store ship. The original cross was erected 12 March 1488, and was replaced by a replica. The original Diaz cross is in in the William Cullen Library at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. This cross was originally thought to have been erected on an island off the coast of present day Port Elizabeth, however it was discovered by Professor Eric Axelson on the coast near the Alexandria dune fields in 1937. The other two crosses are to be found in Cape Town and at Mossel Bay's Market Square.

So maybe the next time we walk to the Cross we will do it from Bushmans?