It has been almost a year since I last saw my daughter who lives in Cape Town. What made this visit particularly special was that she was able to share her actual birthday here in Johannesburg. The last time we celebrated the event as a family was 7 years ago!
Even MORE special, she and I took off a few days and spent those together at the iconic Hunters Rest Hotel near Rustenberg. Aside from sleeping, eating and relaxing, we did partake in several of the activities that were on offer.
For those who have been regular guests over the decades, the swimming pool is as spectacular as ever. We were there at the beginning of the week, and that meant that we had all the facilities to ourselves. The weekend crowds had already left by the time we arrived and checked in. Not only had we forgotten swimming costumes, but when we submerged feet and legs we were both of the opinion that it was too cold to actually get in.
It has been decades since either of us had been on a Putt-Putt course. Plan A was to try our hand at ‘proper’ golf, but the closest either of us had got to the real game was that I had played one hole with friends more than 3 decades ago and my daughter had watched it on TV. So Putt-Putt it was to be. And what fun it turned out to be. Lots of laughing and loads of encouragement from us both got us around the course.
This was at the halfway mark. Little did we know what lay ahead. The holes got more technical and, as we were both about to discover, the dreaded 16th hole will swallow your ball. Even that could not deter us from the fun that we were having and we shared a ball over the final 3 holes. Only then did we try and dislodge my ball, and ended up losing both! It was a great start to a memorable 2-night stay.
The activities on offer are not all adrenaline-filled or strenuous. They can be as simple as walking around the resort grounds, which are vast and beautifully maintained.
We decided that in the mornings, before breakfast, we would walk the 2.5 km to the lookout point in the adjoining Kgaswane Nature Reserve.
Seeing that the road to the lookout is paved, it is not quite a hike, but it got the blood pumping and the heart rate going. On the second day, we both agreed that the road seemed to be tougher, but it was just our level of fitness(or our lack thereof) that gave us that perception. In the distance is the Olifantsnek Dam, where centuries ago wild elephants roamed.
We did bump into a troop of baboons on our final morning, but even though they were noisy, they merely watched as we passed by.
The property, viewed from about halfway up the road.
A 2.5km long trek through the indigenous bushveld and up the Magaliesberg Mountains will eventually bring you to this lookout point where you can marvel at the views that are spread out below and all around you. And you can take all the time that you need to recover your composure before you attempt the descent.
All that walking made us hungry and a delicious, well-earned breakfast awaited us on our return. For me, a carnivore, there had to be a sausage…
And for my daughter, who is vegan, this smashed avo open sandwich. When it came to vegan options, she was very impressed with what was on offer. Turns out that the sous chef used to work at a vegan restaurant in Pretoria. (He also made her the MOST delicious vegan birthday cake.)
With breakfast a mere memory, it was back to try out an activity that neither of us had tried before…archery.
And this turned out to be even more fun than the Putt-Putt.
We were shooting at around 5m and I Googled the Olympic distance…70m. On our way back to our room my daughter paced it out and I could barely see her when she reached it. How archers can see the target at that distance we had no idea. But being professional athletes, they have trained for years to reach that standard. We, on the other hand, had merely had a few moments of instruction before being unleashed and it showed. However, I believe that we had more fun.
I have to brag…it took me a while, but the arrow closest to the bull is mine. My daughter did get in a couple of good shots as well. Highly recommended activity for children and adults.
There is a GZ Adventure Centre on the property and with the help of their knowledgeable staff, you can book all your activities at the same time. You can ride if you are so inclined. I am afraid of horses but luckily for me, it seems that the rides were confined to the weekend, so I did not have to make excuses not to saddle up and ride.
My wife like quad bikes, me…not so much. And seeing that she was not with us, the helmets remained where they were. The last time that she and I shared a quad bike, she would not allow me to drive as she found my driving ‘too slow’. I think that my daughter would concur.
And with all of this exercise done and dusted, it was time for a light lunch.
Another tasty vegan dish for my daughter, Now that lunch was done, time for an afternoon nap for me and a Spa visit for my daughter.
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