WHITE WATER KAYAKING

 One weekend my friend and I decided we were going to do the white water kayaking above the Victoria Falls.  We met our guide at the reception of the Rainbow Hotel.  We were then taken
through the National Park, and arrived up river at our campsite at about 5.30pm.  We were provided with sun downers around a camp fire while we mingled with the other guests.  There were about eight foreigners, my friend and me and the guide.  We sat down to a hearty dinner.  After a long day of travelling we were happy to unroll our sleeping bags onto the stretchers that they provided for us and under the comfort of a mosquito net we gazed at an inky sky studded with stars.

It was an early start the next morning and after a steaming hot cuppa and  some cereal and yoghurt we were given a ‘pep’ talk before venturing out onto the huge expanse of water in our little two man kayaks. 

The guide split my friend and I up and we were placed in the front of our kayaj with a chap behind us.  The start was fairly smooth sailing with calm waters.  Every now and again the guide would tell us that we had to paddle across to the Zambian side as fast as possible to avoid a pod of hippo.  The rapids we encountered were mild in comparison to doing the ‘white water’ rafting below the Victoria Falls, but big enough for out little kayaks and we got thoroughly soaked.  Which was a pleasing interlude to a very hot day!  They were also a thrill and took quite a bit of steering, so as to avoid rocks and tipping into the crocodile infested waters.  So with that terrifying thought in mind, keeping upright was our main aim.

At around mid-day we cruised up to an island with a lovely white ‘beach’ and we had a well-earned rest and a bite to eat.  We did explore the island a bit and just cooled off in the shallows of the river, with someone on look out to make sure no ‘flat dogs’ (crocodiles) were around.  In the afternoon we had a gentle run meandering between islands and down inlets, under overhanding branches filled
with amazing birdlife in close proximity to us.   We came around one island and there was an elephant having a lovely swim in the river – we managed to get quite close to him.  There was also an abundance of wildlife grazing on the banks and some having a daily drink to quench their thirst.

Our second night was a repeat of the first, but we did have the privilege of a cold bucket shower behind a piece of hessian on one side and gazing at the setting sun over the river on the other side.  Such an awesome experience, that no-one complained about the cold water!

Day two on the river was slightly harder as we had to row into the wind, as we got closer to the falls.  By midday I put my oars down and told my partner that he could carry on paddling if he wanted to, but I was quite happy drifting along on the current.  My shoulders were burning in pain and could not have lifted a feather at that stage. 

We finished our safari around mid-afternoon and were transported back to the Victoria Falls campsite.  We did hire a tent for the night, but the energy levels were at such that erecting a tent was too much effort, so we laid it on the ground and slept on top of it.

It was all in all an amazing trip and would do it again at the drop of a hat!

FISH DRIVE ON THE SABI/RUNDI JUNCTION 1963

Sorry no story yet - this is for ex-National Parks folks who might be interested in seeing these photo's or might have been involved in this exercise. 

Ladies where not allowed to be present on these expeditions, but they allowed Mum to be present to take some photographs. 

To imagine that this occurred 48 years ago - so I was probably just a bump in the tummy when these were taken!

HOW ROBINS WAS INCORPORATED INTO WANKIE NATIONAL PARK

A government gazette issued on 24th February 1928 announced that a 5000 square mile tract of land was to be established as Wankie Game Reserve. (14 600 sq kms)

The area chosen was the result of a poll conducted among the country’s Native Commissioners. Sir Cecil Rodwell, Governor of Southern Rhodesia proclaimed the land.

North of the reserve, a few cattle ranchers occupied the land up to the Deka River. Along the Bulawayo/Wankie railway line (which formed the eastern border) a number of farmers had bought railway blocks of land. In the south east a timber company had a concession for teak and other wood. In the south of the reserve it was bounded by Nature Reserves. In the north was the Tom’s Farm owned by Herbert George Robins.

Herbert George Robins the eldest son of a merchant was born in Margate, Kent on 18th March 1867. He was educated by a tutor at the Collegiate School, Margate. His first employment was as a joiner in 1882. But he had a yearning to go to sea, which his mother was against, so as a compromise he immigrated to Australia in 1886. During his time there he worked in a timber yard and then as a builder and a short stint with the Queensland Police.

In 1892 he arrived in the Cape Colony and made his way to the alluvial diamond diggings in Griqualand. In 1893 he made his way to Matabeleland with some of the first wagons following Major Geeldadam’s column during the Matabeleland war.

He was granted a farm on the pioneer road 30mile from Bulawayo. During the Matabele rebellion was served as Captain in the Bulawayo Field Force. In 1808 he was engaged with the Mashonaland Agency as an Assistant to Harvey to report on the coal in the Wankie area.

In 1902 he was with the Tanganyika Concession to prospect in Congo Free State. During 1911 – 1913 he did an exploratory and prospecting expedition on behalf of the Benguella Railway Company in North East Angola. In 1913 his contract expired and he had accumulated a fair amount of money and retired to his scientific instruments on his farm ‘Little Tom’s Spruit’ named after Saddler in the Wankie district. Geise had been negotiating on his behalf on the purchase of the farm since 1910 and it was not until 1912 that Robins had secured ownership. He found the farm too small to run a cattle ranch so applied for the farm next door, ‘Big Toms Spruit’, which he managed to acquire in 1915. He also acquired another farm and finally had 25 000 acres of land. He put a stop to shooting and took active steps to stop poaching on his land, which had been a hunting ground because of the large variety and number of game. He was also a determined defender of the Wankie Game Reserve against local farmers who urged the Government to exterminate the game and open up the country. As the years passed Robins received increasingly numerous requests from people to view the game on his farm and in 1934 fearing ‘Tom’s Farms’ would be sold on his death to become a shooting box, he offered it to the Southern Rhodesian Government on condition that it be maintained for all time as a game sanctuary. The offer was accepted and the farm today known at the Robin’s Camp Sanctuary, which together with the Wankie Reserve – forms the Hwange National Park.

Robins was a fellow of more than half a dozen societies. His eccentric manner, his large white beard and his somewhat pedantic interest in the expensive scientific instruments which he acquired gave rise to exaggerated reports about him. It was said that he was a recluse who had shut himself off from civilization and company, warding off intruders with this pack of Great Danes. He very much enjoyed his telescope and built a tower in which he could use it and had marked on a square frame all the longitude and latitude markings. On the 27th June 1939 he passed away in Wankie Hospital.