The magical thing about cities is that you can spend the festive season in the same place every year for 20 years and still not explore every inch of it. I learnt that a few days ago when my family walked the Donkin Heritage Trail. At that time I thought I’d been everywhere in Port Elizabeth but now I know I was wrong. There was a lot I didn’t know about this historic city. For instance, I didn’t know that the 1820 settlers were sent to live here by the members of the Cape Colony. This made me wonder about these people who had agreed to leave their homes and settle in a foreign area. Thankfully, I didn’t have to wonder about them for too long because there was a historical museum along the Donkin Trail. This museum was set up in the home that Reverend Francis McCleland had built for himself.
You can read a bit about it on the outside wall but my family and I decided to explore the house as well. The house was decorated with the furniture and accessories that would have been there during the 1840s. Thus there was a sewing desk, servant’s quarters, a machine that looked like a waffle maker, jelly moulds, beds, a doll house with many dolls, a butter churning mechanism and even a well.
But, that was not the only place we explored on this trail. We also went past the Public Library, the City Hall, the High Court, the Advocate’s Club, the Queen Victoria Statue, the Holy Rosary Convent (if you walk up the Bird Street side of the building you can read some famous quotes painted onto the one wall). There are also a lot of beautiful artworks along the way for you to photograph even one that includes flying taxis.
Even though we saw so many amazing sights my favourite is still the Donkin Reserve, Pyramid and lighthouse because of the history and clever artworks there. For those of you who do not know what I’m talking about I’ll describe the scenery up on that hill. In front of the King Edward Hotel there is a parking lot and then a large tree that hangs over a circle that is made of coloured stones. It is really beautiful and the ideal spot for a selfie. From there you walk passed a few inspiring Nelson Mandela quotes to the lighthouse and brown pyramid. The pyramid was built by Sir Rufane Donkin who dedicated it to his wife, Elizabeth (she is the reason Nelson Mandela Bay was originally named Port Elizabeth) whilst the lighthouse was built in 1861 and now holds the Tourism Centre. If you keep walking you will notice that to the left of the pyramid (if you’re facing it) there is a large strip of mosaic which is used to tell numerous stories. When you’re done taking photographs there you can walk to the silhouette of Nelson Mandela and then if you follow the path down you will notice the silhouettes of many other people. From here you will get a very good photograph of the giant flag that towers over the bay. FYI it is the biggest South African flag in the world.
So, if you ever get the opportunity to visit this amazing city I recommend you walk this trail, go to the Boardwalk (watch the Magic Fountains at night), swim in the rock pools at Pollock beach and eat lunch at Schoonies (the calamari there is my favourite).
And, don’t forget that ‘nothing is what it seems’ so if you think you know a city very well then dive deep into its history and you’ll realize that it’s even more interesting than you originally imagined.
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