Tsitsikamma Manor Stormsriver Accommodation

THE HISTORY ABOUT tsitsikamma

Tsitsikamma is a Khoi word, meaning “place of many waters” or “abundance of water” due to the high rainfall experienced in this area which sustains the lush natural vegetation and is home to a variety of animal and bird life. The original Khoi San people traversed the coastline in harmony with nature – only taking what they needed to live on from their environment.

The early inhabitants of this region - the current owner of Tsitsikamma Manor’s forefathers –lived a unique lifestyle. The late Stone Age group was known as hunter gathers. Men would hunt, and the women would pick fruits and edible roots to provide for their families. Our ancestors were known for their honesty and humble appearance. Evenings were spent with families, recounting their daily activities around a camp fire, where the elders told tales of legendary hunters and sleepy children were lulled to sleep by the murmur of gentle voices and the crackling of the fire. They interpreted the stellar formations of night skies to predict the weather and assist them in hunting expeditions.

At some point the Khoi-San was known to be the largest population group on Earth, but due to Colonial dispossession, most were absorbed into the settler economy as servants, pushed into the most marginal of mountain and desert areas, such as the Kalahari, or simply exterminated.

European settlement started as early as the 1400’s, when the Portuguese traders came in contact with the original inhabitants attempting to find a spice route to Asia. Over the next 200 years, increasing numbers of travelers from foreign lands arrived, until the first permanent settlement took place in 1652, when Jan van Riebeeck arrived at the Cape.

The Tsitsikamma area was then discovered by the settlers, and was soon seen as a natural paradise. Lush vegetation, giant trees, and an abundance of forest animals was now exposed and used for human greed. The once undisturbed forest, became a haven for botanists, geologists, woodcutters and hunters.

Tsitsikamma National Park was once used as a docking point for boats, where the large old Outeniqua trees were cut down, transported down the Storms River, and shipped from the docking bay. The beautiful Yellowwood trees were then indiscriminately chopped down to use for ships’ timber.

However, moving through the dense forest was very difficult and only a few hardy hunters would take on the challenge to hunt elephants, bush pigs and other game animals

In 1841 the Duthie family came to Storms River and established a hunting camp – the remains of which can still be viewed in the forest in the form of a small hunters’ lodge. They shot up to 64 elephant a month for their tusks and even just for sport! The area was then opened up to more travelers when Thomas Bain built a wagon road in 1854 from Plettenberg bay to Port Elizabeth. Using approximately 200 convicts, the road was completed in 1858. This road was the main access road until 1956, when the Paul Sauer Bridge was built on the N2 national road. The original wagon road is still used by local inhabitants and some adventure companies.

With the completion of the road came more development and small communities were established – leading to the current village of Storms River. Thankfully the forests are currently protected by SANPARKS, which works hand in hand with the local community and other tourism establishments to protect and preserve this unique natural asset.