The village of Haenertsburg lies in the Magoebaskloof region and is little more than a stone’s throw from the top of the majestic Magoebaskloof Pass. It is set in a region renowned for its beauty and known as the “The land of the Silver Mists” because of frequent mists that envelope this escarpment area. It is surrounded by mountains, montaine grasslands and forests and shelters beneath the granite massif of the Iron Crown Mountain which is part of the Wolkberg range in the northern Drakensberg.

Born of the Gold Rush, the village was proclaimed on September 13 1887 and named after Carl Ferdinand Haenert who hailed from Eisenach in Germany. A one-time transport rider, Haenert began prospecting for gold and discovered a reef of the metal in Houtboschberg, near the present-day village.

Despite high hopes for a gold bonanza, the mines proved a disappointment.

As prospects for major finds diminished and difficulties were experienced in buying expensive equipment many of the miners packed up and deserted their claims, heading for the Witwatersrand, Barberton or the Selati goldfields in the Lowveld. Those who stayed behind focused on farming and on forestry.

The early phases of the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902) had little effect on the people of Haenertsburg though some joined the commandos and saw action in Natal and the Orange Free State. However, after Pretoria was taken by the British in 1900 the war moved to the northern regions of the Transvaal and guerilla action took over.

It was at this time that Haenertsburg had the dubious honour of being the ZAR capital for one day.

Today Haenertsburg is a bustling village with a population of about 500.

Two general dealers stores stock just about everything from mealie meal and milk to nails, meat and household goods. There is also a post office, a police station and a service station.

Besides the Iron Crown Pub and Grill there are two restaurants and a coffee shop and a new “café” that offers home-made takeaways and sweets.

The Pennefather Gold Mining Company Ltd, named after one of the original mining companies, is built in the style of a mining village and offers accommodation in cottages named for local heroes Karl Mauch, Ferdinand Haenert, Doel Zeederberg and author Rider Haggard, whose book She was based on The Rain Queen Modjadji. Long Tom is named for the 155mm Creusot gun and Prestor John is the title of a book written by John Buchan and set in the area.

Reflections Studio and Gift Shop specialises in warm glass, hand-crafted pottery, collectable and photographs.

Market Time is a quaint little shop open on Fridays and Saturdays which sells home-made jams and pickles, fresh vegetables, pies, bread and cakes as well as second-hand books and craft items.

Long Tom Monument

In 1901 the Boers decided to use Pietersburg (now Polokwane) as temporary headquarters and the two remaining Long Toms (155mm Creusot siege guns) were ordered to be brought up to Pietersburg. One these cumbersome guns was destroyed by the Boers at the Letaba River en route to Haenertsburg after the Boers had run out of ammunition and it proved too great a burden. Its remains were thrown into the Letaba River. The other gun was brought up through Sekoekoeniland and placed on Feeskop hill overlooking the route which the British were expected to take from Pietersburg. When the Boers realised the British forces were approaching they realised they had little chance of defending themselves and blew up the gun to prevent it falling into enemy hands.

Retired history professor Louis Changuion who lives in Haenertsburg was instrumental in tracing the remains of the gun in a search that took him as far away as London. The remains of the Long Tom are now in the open-air museum in the village. The museum commemorates all the wars which involved local inhabitants and includes the Makgoba War, the Anglo Boer War, and the Border Wars.

Wegraakbosch Organic Cheese Farm

Nipper Thompson and his wife Sylvia produce a range of organic Swiss-style cheeses on an historic settler farm just outside Haenertsburg. The Thompsons run a herd of Brown Swiss cows and a herd of Saanen goats. The main focus is on traditional Mutchli cheese but they also make other cheeses such as Emmenthaler, Harvati and Tilsiter as well as Feta cheese, cream cheese and goats’ milk cheese. Cheese tours and cheese tastings take place daily; visitors can also watch the milking and enjoy picnics on the farm.

Woodbush Forest Reserve

The Woodbush includes a vast area of indigenous forest and is the habitat of huge trees such as giant Yellowwoods and Forest Fever trees. The forest floor is carpeted in fern and bracken while lichen and monkey rope hang from the branches of the huge trees.

Visitors can enjoy a scenic drive along roads built more than a century ago by Italian prisoners of war. Numerous streams, waterfalls and pools add to the beauty of the area which is also home to rare Samango monkeys, bush pig, bushbuck and an abundance of birds – many of them rare. The endangered and rare species include Cape Parrot, Narina Trogon, and buff-spotted flufftail.

In the heart of the Woodbush are the Debengeni Falls where the water tumbles down to the Lowveld in an impressive series of falls and deep rocky pools. This makes for a beautiful picnic site.

John Buchan

Scottish author and statesman John Buchan, who was a member of the Milner Kindergarten was a frequent visitor to Magoebaskloof when he was tasked with reconciliation and reconstruction following the devastation of the Anglo-Boer War. He fell passionately in love with the area describing it as “an earthly paradise like a colossal nobleman’s park” and a “temenos, a place enchanted and consecrate.”

He expressed a desire to “leave his bones here” but sadly he died in Canada, where he had been appointed Governor General. He was honoured with the title Lord Tweedsmuir.

Spring Festival

The annual Magoebaskloof and Haenertsburg Spring Festival celebrates its 25th anniversary this year and a range of exciting events is being put in place to mark this special anniversary. The first Spring Fair was held in 1984 and ran for an exhausting six weeks. Started by nurserymen and enthusiastic gardeners, the first Spring Fair focused mainly on plants and flowers. The next year, local arts and crafts were added and the fair was held in the Dickie Dagge Hall at Magoebaskloof Hotel. It ran for 16 days.

Over the years the fair grew in popularity and the number of exhibitors increased. Renowned horticulturalist Sheila Thompson opened her garden with its spectacular display of Japanese flowering cherry Trees, crab apples, azaleas and rhododendrons to the public. Haenertsburg village became involved with a variety of annual events including a spring church services, concerts, guided walks and performances by Welsh Mail Voice Choir. The Spring Fair then became part of what was called the Cherry Blossom Festival.

Today visitors arrive from all parts of South Africa and even from overseas for the festival and the whole area participates in making this a memorable experience. The Spring Fair prides itself on showcasing arts and crafts of exceptional quality. Only hand-crafted items are allowed and the vetting procedure is strict.

To commemorate the silver anniversary of the Spring Fair, there will be a grand opening ceremony with VIPs from the past in attendance, a bass fishing competition, a Mountain Marathon and other events.

Stanford Lake College will open its gardens and provide picnic baskets to be enjoyed on the banks of Stanford Lake.

The village itself has many exciting plans to entertain visitors and the Spring Fair with its display of arts and crafts, craft demonstrations and workshops as well as specialist food such as organic cheeses, jams, jellies, pickles and preserves will be the focus of the Spring Festival.

Kiwifruit Festival

After only two years the Kiwifruit Festival is making a mark on the national festival diary. Farms in the Haenertsburg and Magoebaskloof area are the biggest private producers of Kiwifruit in South Africa. The festival is known for its fun events but includes tours through kiwifruit orchards and pack houses as well as tastings. The cookout when local chefs vie with each other to create winning kiwifruit dishes is hugely popular. The local pubs and restaurants offer special menus and a harvest festival in the village offers a variety of fresh fruit and vegetables as well as locally made pickles, preserves, jams and chutneys, breads pies and pastries.

Silvermist Holistic and Health Fair

The Silvermist Holistic and Health Fair, now into its 9th year, takes place every July. Health practitioners from all over South Africa come to Haenertsburg to demonstrate their skills or sell their specialised lotions, potions and balms. Visitors can experience many treatments ranging from reflexology and reiki to crystal therapy, head massage, cheirology, tarot readings, iridology and many more. This year the fair will be held on July 4 and 5.

Adventure sports

Abseiling, kloofing, white-water rafting, tubing and a canopy tour are all available for adrenaline junkies in Magoebaskloof. Other less extreme sports include hiking, cycling, quad bikes and Paint Ball. Thaba-Metsi Adventure Sports can tailor exciting packages to suit anyone’s interests.

Magoebaskloof Hotel

The Magoebaskloof Hotel is a well-known landmark in Limpopo. More than 70 years old the hotel has been a popular venue for tourists through the years. The hotel was built in 1937 on land bought by Eileen and Archie Rankin from the pioneering O’Conner family who owned Sandford Downs. Little is known of the first owners.

In about 1947 Colonel Richard (Dickie) Dagge bought the hotel. Dickie Dagge had come to South Africa from England in 1923 after his discharge from the Indian Army. He had had been recruited by the 1820 Settlers Association as a “settler farmer”.

By all accounts he was “more than a bit of a lad”, and has been described as “adventurous, fearless and humourous”.

He and his wife Marge ran the hotel themselves. The convivial Dickie apparently did not make much of a profit at the hotel which was a favourite “drinking hole” for the locals. Marge would often entertain guests with songs as she sat out on the veranda overlooking Magoebaskloof. She was the granddaughter of Mrs Strachan who had trekked from Pretoria in 1893 with her two daughters to open a hospital at Leydsdorp, the old gold mining town in the Lowveld. Mrs Strachan later bought the Agatha Hotel at new Agatha from the original owners Altenroxel and Plange.

The Coach House Hotel was built on the site of the Agatha Hotel.

Dickie Dagge sold the Magoebaskloof Hotel to a Mr Service in around 1957 but bought it back again. He sold it again in about 1965 to Eric Marler.

In 1984 Guy Matthews, the owner of the Coach House, bought the Magoebaskloof Hotel and Trout Waters Lodge (now Stanford Lake College).

In January 2004 disaster struck the hotel when it was burnt down overnight. But that was not the end of the story and by September 2004 the hotel had been stylishly rebuilt with the help of local builders and hotel staff, who cheerfully pushed loaded wheelbarrows, painted walls and dug foundations.

Not only does the hotel have a magnificent view down Magoebaskloof Valley but it is set in a delightful garden. Its excellent table has earned it many accolades and the Phoenix and Fireman Pub has a convivial ambience where guests and local folk can meet for a pleasant evening drink in front of a roaring log fire. Horst Dombrock has been general manager of the hotel since 1984.

This family friendly hotel offers elegantly comfortable accommodation. Swimming, bowls, hiking and birding are all available on the property.

Fishing

Magoebaskloof has become an important fishing destination. Trout and bass fishing are both available in a number of attractive dams and streams. The Glenfiddich and the Bells trout fishing contests are popular events in the area.

Cheerio Gardens

This one of the many beautiful gardens in the area. It is renowned for its spring display of crab apples blossom, Japanese flowering cherries, azaleas and rhododendrons. The gardens are open to the public who can wander freely over many hectares in beautiful park-like surroundings. A small tea garden overlooking one of the many dams offers light refreshments.