Hi, I’m Kristie Paine from Rorkes Drift, Battlefields, KwaZulu Natal.
Rorkes Drift IS BEST KNOWN FOR The battlefields (Anglo-Zulu) and for the Crafts that come from this area.
GET YOUR PICTURE TAKEN AT Isandlwana and Rorkes Drift museums, these are the special places where people lost their lives fighting for their Country/ King.
THE BEST cultural PICTURES CAN BE TAKEN with many of the Happy people who live in this area – the children especially are very friendly.
OTHER HAPPY SNAPS AT Isibindi Zulu Lodge with our Zulu Dancers after a wonderful zulu dancing display as real as anything you’ve experienced before, it’s done by the local children of Rorke’s Drift. And they truly love it!
WHEN THE WEATHER’S GOOD, I LIKE TO take a swim in the Isibindi River.
WHEN THE WEATHER’S BAD, I LIKE TO sit by the fire place reading a book.
I THINK THE BEST TIME OF YEAR TO VISIT IS June / July, BECAUSE although it gets a little but colder, the aloes that grace this amazing landscape all begin to flower, an absolutely amazing sight to see, all the aloes standing upright along the rolling hills, with amazing orange, yellows and reds bursting above their heads.
MY FAVOURITE BREAKFAST SPOT IS a skottle breakfast on Isibindi Airstrip where the Zebra and Giraffe often make an appearance.
FOR LUNCH, I SUGGEST picnic under the trees at Rorke’s Drift or one held at the Buffalo river whilst Clay Pigeon Shooting.
IF YOU WANT TO MEET LOCALS, GO TO on a Panoramic tour with Mike Nel, it is an experience unlike any you’ve ever had, he will take you into areas where the zulu people are welcoming and proud and you will have encounters with interesting zulu’s and learn about their ways, and see what makes them such an amazing, proud nation. Not to mention the amazing panoramic views of Zululand. This is an experience you will never forget! I guarantee it.
Rorkes Drift’s BEST KEPT SECRET IS that there is so much wonderfully creative crafts being made, you just have to know where to look, from leather products, to weaving, material printing, pottery, wire works, beadworks, embroidery and even amazing woodwork is all done in the little huts surrounding this amazing little village.
MY FAVOURITE THING TO DO WITH FRIENDS IS have a relaxing braai, our garden has an amazing view overlooking the valley, can’t beat that.
TO RELAX AND RESTORE MY SOUL, I LIKE TO go camping on the reserve, it’s just my husband and i with our sleeping bags and a picnic basket, sleeping under the stars.
IF YOU’RE FEELING ADVENTUROUS, TRY tubing (lying on a blow up tube) your way down the Isibindi river, till you reach the Buffalo, this is only possible with good rains, and a flowing river.
MY FAVOURITE WALK leaves from our front door, down into the valley and along a few dry river beds, and takes you through the reserve, where you can see many animals, especially since you are on foot. Kudu, Wildebeest, Duiker, Nyala, Zebra and much more.
MY FAVOURITE interesting SHOP IS Elandskraal general store.
MY FAVOURITE game WATCHING SPOT IS from the pool.
IF YOU’RE HERE IN January, JOIN IN THE FUN AT the Re-enactment which happens every year on the anniversary of the battles…22 January, or the nearest Saturday to that date, there is also usually a marathon from Isandlwana to Rorke’s Drift which follows the same trail the soldiers would have used in 1879.
MY FAVOURITE MUSEUM IS Rorke’s Drift Museum. CHECK OUT THE figurine display, made by a school going boy as his history project, amazing.
MY FAVOURITE BUILDING IS the stone church at Elandskraal, FOR ITS sheer beauty; built by the German missionary in 1923 it is truly lovely.
TRAVELLING WITH CHILDREN? A FUN OUTING IS taking the children for clay pigeon shooting at the buffalo river with a picnic and then a swim afterwards.
BEST CHEAP AND CHEERFUL OUTING IS a visit to a local homestead, giving out sweets and goodies to the children along the way.
WHEN MONEY’S NO OBJECT, I LIKE TO do a panoramic tour with plenty of sweets and small notes in my pocket so I can buy home-made crafts direct from the people I’m visiting and meeting and hand out sweets to all the children I see along the way whilst out in Zululand.
THE MOST UNUSUAL THING I SEE HERE IS a Black Eagle, who has a nest on our farm.
MY FAVOURITE WEEKEND GETAWAY IS to the coast, I like camping, so my favourite would be to go to Mabibi Camp on the North Coast, near Kosi Bay.
WHEN I WANT TO GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY, I start a Sponsorship programme (which i have done) and sponsor local children to go to school (school fees) and learning aids such as text books, and also assist where we can with extra mural equipment like soccer balls and at the moment we are raising money for a play area (like swings and slides and a jungle gym) at the local primary school. Each year a need is realised at the local schools and we aim for that year to fill that need. For more information about the history of this project please contact us.
I Love Rorkes Drift BECAUSE it is my home, a place of hope and prosperity. There is a real sense of community that is alive here like in no place i have ever lived before, i moved away from here for 4 years, and i longed to come back here every day i was away. There is something really special about this place that you can’t describe in words, you feel it in the air when you are here. It is HOME.
Rorkes Drift Info:
- Rorkes Drift Attractions
- Rorkes Drift Hotels
- Rorkes Drift Accommodation
- KwaZulu Natal Accommodation
- KwaZulu Natal Hotels
- South Africa Hotels
Desirable Digits
Isandlwana Tour: +27 (0)34 271-8051
Rorkes Drift Battlefields Tour: +27 (0)34 271-8051
Elandskraal General Store: +27 (0)34 642-1757
Rorke’s Drift Museum: +27 (0)34 642-1687
Mabibi Camp: +27 (0)82 257-5612
