Bougainvillea at Dodds Farm

I accompanied the webmaster of Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism on an outing to a couple of nature trails around Port Elizabeth to get some pictures for the NMBT website. I spotted this flowering bougainvillea at Dodds Farm in the Baakens Valley and, knowing me for a while now, when I told him to keep walking … Continue reading Bougainvillea at Dodds Farm →

3rd Avenue Dip under water

We may be coming out of a drought, but when it rains it pours. The low water bridge over the Baakens River at the 3rd Avenue Dip floods very easily and so it was the case again with all the rain we had this weekend.Just another angle to show the flooded road (as well as another … Continue reading 3rd Avenue Dip under water →

Lots and lots of rain

For more than two years the area around Port Elizabeth has been in the grips of a drought and with dams running dry the city has had water restrictions in place for about a year and a half already. Over the last few months we have had rain on and off and the dam levels have … Continue reading Lots and lots of rain →

Low water bridge

Another post featuring the 3rd Avenue dip between Newton Park and Mangold Park. The low water bridge at the bottom of the dip is often submerged after persistent hard rain and flooding.

3rd Avenue Dip

Everybody in Port Elizabeth knows the 3rd Avenue dip. It is where 3rd Avenue, Newton Park crosses through the Baakens Valley and before the construction of the William Moffat Express Way it was the main access road between Walmer and Newton Park. The 3rd Avenue dip was built in 1957 and still is a very popular road used … Continue reading 3rd Avenue Dip →

After the rain

Over the last week we have had some good rains fall all over the country. In and around Port Elizabeth it brought welcome relief although not nearly enough has fallen to break the drought. There was enough rain though to get the Baakens River flowing a bit stronger at the 3rd Avenue Dip.

Carols in Settlers Park

On Saturday night the second annual Carols by Candlelight in Settlers Park took place. The event was organised by the Wildlife and Environment Society of SA (WESSA) and Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism and forms part of the Baakens Valley Recovery Program. Although the wind was blowing all day long, the spot where the carols took … Continue reading Carols in Settlers Park →

Baakens River

The Baakens River flowing through Settlers Park. The picture was taken from the park's How Avenue parking area.

Upper Baakens Valley

This is a section of the upper Baakens Valley just above the 3rd Avenue dip looking from Newton Park towards the Moffat Retail Park where Pick 'n Pay Hypermarket is located. This section of the Baakens Valley can be explored by taking the Upper Guinea Fowl Trail between the dip and Sunridge Park.

Bench with a view

Every now and then I get a request via e-mail from people who used to live in Port Elizabeth asking me to take a photo of a spot that holds a significant place in their memories. I have to be honest and say that I haven't really made lots of effort to go out and … Continue reading Bench with a view →