We recently had the pleasure of staying at The Point Hotel Mossel Bay for a few nights while photographing a number of Virtual Tours in the Mossel Bay area (more on that over the next few months). The Point Hotel is situated right on the point of the natural bay of Mossel Bay, below the St Blaize lighthouse, and right on the rocks! Looking out your hotel suite, one almost feels like you are on a ship!
We recently visited the Addo Elephant Park in Port Elizabeth, home to hundreds of African Elephant. We parked the car at Hapoor Dam for about 2 hours, and sat watching these magnificent animals coming down to the dam to drink, cool down, and play!
In this 360 degree panoramic photo you can get an idea of how close these elephants were to us, and how big they are. Enjoy!
Found right in the heart of Pretoria, locals will tell you that Loftus Versfeld Stadium IS itself the beating heart of Pretoria! Home to the Blue Bulls, a passionate rugby team, with hundreds of thousands of local rugby supporters who regularly bring the stadium alive all dressed in the iconic blue jersy of the Blue Bulls.
The Loftus Versfeld Stadium will host a number of games of the FIFA 2010 Soccer World Cup. Enjoy the 360 degree virtual tour!
Riverbend Art Gallery was opened by the late Dennis Cominos the then mayor of Margate on the 17th August 1984. Riverbend Art Gallery is home to works by many of South Africa’s finest artists including, Dino Paravano, Titta Fasciotti, Rob Wareing, Rob McIntosh, John Smith, Kobus Kotze, Peter Hall, Louis Audie, Richard Rennie, Coral Spenser, Isabel Le Roux, Marc Poisson, Tony De Freitas and many others.
The Ou Raadsaal (old Council Chamber), served as the first parliament of South Africa. The building was designed by Sytze Wopke Wierda in a classical style of Greek and Roman architecture. Originally supposed to be two storeys high, president Paul Kruger insisted a 3rd storey added so that it would not be shorter than the nearby hotel. The Ou Raadsaal building was restored in 1962, when the British Coat of arms over the entrance was replaced by the South African Republic’s coat of arms, a replica of the one originally sculpted by Anton van Wouw. After many years of planning and research, the Raadsaal was once again restored in 1992, in an effort to return it to its former glory.
The Union Buildings in Pretoria are home to the form the official seat of the South African government and also house the offices of the President of South Africa, and have always been central to South African history. It is here that Nelson Mandela became the state President in 1994, changing the face of South Africa. The beautiful gardens around the Union Buildings are very well maintained, and offer a lovely garden park to stroll through and relax.
The great grey colossus of the massive Voortrekker Monument can be seen from all directions as you approach Pretoria. Built in honor of the Voortrekkers (Pioneers), who left the Cape Colony in their thousands between 1835 and 1854.
This 360 degree photo (Roof of Voortrekker Monument) was taken on the north east side of the roof, 60 meters above the ground. The photographic equipment used to capture the 360 degree image was mounted on our new 4.5 meter high pole (more on this new elevated pole in a future article).
Church Square in Pretoria is home to a statue of Paul Kruger, the man famous for the Kruger National Park and the Kruger Rand coin that bears his name. Pretoria is the administrative Capitol of South Africa, and home to many historic buildings.
Margate beach is already a hub of excitement for holiday makers arriving “early” to beat the December peak season madness. The sun came out (after a few weeks of rainy weather) in all its summer glory. Lifeguards where on duty, as unsual, and the beach was teaming with activity. Enjoy the Virtual Tour below (see if you can find the lifeguard…)
I was quite pleasantly surprised yesterday to find this little piece of coastline near Glenmore Beach, about 5km north of Port Edward, on the Kwa-Zulu Natal South Coast. The area is very well looked after, and very quiet. Glenmore is well known as a little retirement village, and certainly lives up to its reputation.
