DESTINATIONGOLF . TRAVEL
country ’ s finest horseflesh – for which it must be said , four and half kilometres is little more than a sprint !
Next in order is the Comrades Marathon – justifiably one of the world ’ s most famous ultra-marathons .
The shoals are so large that they are clearly visible from low flying planes , high ground on the coastline , or from the surface of the ocean .
As races go – this one is huge , and in bio-mass terms the ‘ event ’ is right up there with , or bigger than , the largest , such as the annual migration of wildebeest across the Serengeti .
Those sardines know a thing or two , because the south coast of KZN , also known as the Hibiscus Coast or Golf Coast , is not only just about climatically perfect , for golfers , between April and early September , but also for Sardinops sagax ( also known as the pilchard , Sardinops ocellatus - to give our humble toast topper his full and rather regal sounding ) to make their way along !
This race is run either ‘ up ’ or ‘ down ’ each year over 90 kilometres , between KZN ’ s commercial hub , Durban and the provincial capital – Pietermaritzburg , and which involved over 18 000 runners in the 2024 edition of the race , which was the 49th version of the ‘ up-run ’ i . e ., from Durban to Pietermaritzburg .
Finally , there is the Dusi Canoe Marathon , which pits men , women , boys and girls in pairs , or singly , and their canoes against the mighty Msunduzi and Mgeni rivers in a race which is run over 3 days , and a total distance of 120 kilometres .
OK , so it is a very popular stretch of coastline with sardines and golfers , but what will the non-golfers in a family make of the area on vacation , and what will they find to do ?
If any type of a list is required , then who better to help with that question , than the character Rat from the classic tale The Window in the Willows , by Kenneth Graeme , as he lists the contents of a particularly fat wicker luncheon basket , to his friend the Mole :
‘ There ’ s cold chicken inside it , replied the Rat briefly ;
So , is that all ?! Well actually yes , if you are looking at races in which the hands , feet or knees ( in the case of the jockeys ), of ‘ man ’ plays any part .
But a BIG NO – if you consider that one of the greatest races in the world takes place along KZN ’ s shores , and often beaches first on the south coast of this province .
This race involves billions of competitors , takes place over the winter months in this region , and covers hundreds of kilometres along the eastern coast of KZN – it is of course the sardine run ! The enormous numbers of sardines ( swirling in what are referred to as bait balls ), create a feeding frenzy along the coastline , as the shoals can be more than 7 km long , 1.5 km wide and are often 30 metres deep .
Mole might say the same , if he were faced with ; swimmingsunbathing-fishing-beachcombing-restauranting-boatinghiking-nightclubbing-windsurfing-kayaking-birdspottingshopping-horseriding-mountainbiking-gamewatching-gamblingwatchingcorocodiles-swimmingwithsharks …… to name just a selection of items on this KZN region ’ s ‘ to do ’ list , but somehow , I think not !
So , will we stay on this coast ( called South Africa ’ s Mauritius by some !), and settle down ?
With one our favourite hotels ( the Beverly Hills at Umhlanga ), just over an hour ’ s drive away , and all the golf and ‘ things to do ’ that the north coast , also known as the Dolphin Coast , has to offer , both KZN ’ s denizens and its visitors – I would not bet against it !
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