5 THINGS TO DO

If you’ve had enough sea and sand, here are five land-based activities to keep you busy.

the Donkin Heritage Trail

For an acquaintance to become a friend, you need to know more about his or her background. This applies when you visit a new place, too. The best way to get to know PE is to do the Donkin Heritage Trail. The old city centre stretches from the harbour to the St George’s Park stadium. First stop: The Donkin lighthouse. Buy a Donkin Heritage Trail booklet at the tourism office (R45) and climb up the lighthouse (R10 per person). Next to the staircase are information boards about the early days of the harbour town, which was established to export wool, mohair and ostrich feathers. There’s also info about the lighthouse itself and why Sir Rufane Donkin built a stone pyramid next door in the 1820s… From the top of the lighthouse, there’s a great view of the city, the harbour, a 470 m² mosaic next to the lighthouse and the biggest South African flag in the country, which flies on a 65 m-high pole and is as big as a tennis court! Now head towards the cricket stadium. This area has many old buildings – most of which are national monuments – dating from PE’s settler era. There are about 50 landmarks that you can explore on foot. This old part of town is known as The Hill and it is indeed hilly, but the trail is only 6 km long and there are lots of places to pause along the way: at a statue of Queen Victoria, at a row of historical semi-detached houses, at the newly renovated Campanile (see go! #136), a cathedral, a fort, the glass dome of the Pearson Conservatory… You’ll learn a lot about PE’s history in just a few hours and at your own pace. Where? The route starts at Vuyisile Mini Square (former Market Square) in Govan Mbeki Avenue. Opening times: The tourism office is open on weekdays from 8 am to 4.30 pm and on Saturdays from 9.30 am to 3.30 pm. Contact: 041 582 2575; nmbt.co.za

Meet the Bayworld seals

It might take some convincing to get your kids to a museum, but Bayworld will keep them entertained for hours. Make your first stop the dinosaur exhibition. There are several dino models on display, including a T-Rex and an algoasaurus, PE’s very own dinosaur. This 9 m-tall creature, with its lizard-like head and elephant-like legs, is the most true-to-life recreation researchers could put together from fossils found in the area. In 1903, workers at the Port Elizabeth Brick and Tile Company uncovered a fossil in a quarry, but they didn’t realise what they’d found straight away and many bones were ground up and turned into bricks. Fortunately, enough of the skeleton was salvaged to give palaeontologists an idea of what an algoasaurus might have looked like. Bayworld also celebrates the maritime history of Africa’s southern shores, with an exhibition of cannons, rifles, household items, furniture and fleet uniforms. There are also models of several shark and whale species, plus a 15 m-long skeleton of a southern right whale. Plan your visit so you can watch the seals and penguins being fed (11 am or 3 pm). During the afternoon session, a staff member will tell you more about seal behaviour and the animals will do a few tricks. Where? Corner of Beach Road and Brookes Hill Drive. Cost: R45 per adult; R40 per pensioner/student; R35 per child aged 3 – 17; free for children under 3. Opening times: Weekdays from 9 am to 4.30 pm (closed on weekends). Contact: 041 584 0650; bayworld.co.za