6 Things to do in and around Pella
The church, a national monument, is packed every Sunday.
An old-world church and mission in the desert, dates for Africa and a Hollywood hullaballoo... Pella in the Northern Cape has a few surprises up its sleeve, as Erns Grundling and photographer Simone Scholtz discovered.
Visit the church and museum
Most visitors stop at the church and mission first.
Get out, take a few pictures and enter the church. You can hardly believe it was built by a handful of people who knew nothing about building. The large crucifix at the altar was carved by Father Simon himself – with only his pocket knife – during a six-month stint of solitude.
Try to attend the Sunday morning service; the congregation welcome visitors with open arms. The singing is heartwarming – traditional mission church hymns and “koortjies” (choruses) are spontaneously mixed with more staid Catholic traditions.
The new priest, Father Angus Osborne from Okiep, is a firebrand. In his sermon he lays into the congregation, especially because they don’t make the sign of the cross exactly right. And even if you’ve asked permission to take pictures, be sensitive with the camera, this is a service...
The knowledgeable Sister Léonie accompanies us through the museum and tells us about Pella
and the mission’s history.
Various objects from the 19th century – such as the first pulpit, robes and angel statues – have been lovingly preserved, and you can also see old implements and photographs taken by Father Simon himself.
Drive into Pella and turn left where the road forks. The church is on the right. The museum
is on the right behind the church. The friendly sisters will unlock the museum for visitors at any time – they live opposite the building. Free, but donations are welcome. 054 971 0020
Look out over Bushmanland
In 1905, the townspeople climbed the three mountains near Pella and planted a wooden crucifix on top of each mountain. Over time the crucifixes weathered away. In 1975, they were substituted with aluminium ones during a similar outing, and they’re still there.
Climbing any one of the Pella mountains is easier said than done. (It’s a much harder hike than, say, climbing Lion’s Head in Cape Town.) It’s deceptively steep, and you only realise this once you’ve started climbing. There are also no clear paths to the top, so wear decent hiking shoes.
But it’s worth the sweat. The higher we climb, the wider the plains of Bushmanland become, with Pella the only green dot in the desert landscape.
After about two hours we’re three-quarters of the way up. Far below we hear a herdboy calling his goats. The view is awe-inspiring.
Any one of the three mountains behind Pella.
It is free. The sisters will gladly walk with you if you want company. 054 971 0020
Find succulents with the detective
Karel du Toit is a detective in Springbok. But when he’s not chasing stock thieves, he’s a freelance tour guide who knows Namaqualand’s floral bounty – and especially the large variety of succulents – like the back of his hand.
“In Namaqualand you have to be on your hands and knees to appreciate the plants,” says Karel before bending low to point out a colony of lithops. These tiny blobs are common in the Pella region, along with Namaqua porkbush and the well-known halfmens and quiver trees.
Karel, who leads local and international tourists on succulent tours, also has exlusive access to private land.
“This is food for the soul,” he often remarks.
His enthusiasm is contagious. I’m completely ignorant when it comes to plants, but within minutes in his company I’m a newly converted plant lover.
Make an appointment with Karel and meet him in town or at the Klein Pella Guest House.
Karel tailors the tour to your needs and budget. He’s always looking for an excuse to share his passion for succulents with others.082 492 8291; lz1@telkomsa.net
Get a check-up from Antie Goeters
Antie Goeters (70) started studying the medicinal properties of herbs years ago and has made a name for herself as a healer and a smeervrou (masseuse). People come from as far as Springbok and the Richtersveld for a consultation.
“Once, I had a man whose wife couldn’t have children. I made up herbs for both of them, and then she got two sons right here in Pella,” she says.
She can’t climb the mountain herself to find herbs in the veld, but she’ll send someone to help you look.
Ask Antie Goeters to give you a check-up and see what herbs you need. She’s particularly good at curing backache, stomach ailments, wind and headaches.
“They work like a charm,” she says. And depression? “This sickness people get now, that heavy heart… I have a cure for that too, but then you mustn’t drink wine.”
Antie Goeters also doesn’t believe in slimming agents. “You just have to eat a little less. You can’t go and give people stuff for that.”
Where? Antie Goeters lives at 767 Mountain Street.
Price? Negotiable.
Contact: 054 971 0143
Taste fresh dates on the farm
In 1905, German soldiers who were fighting the Namas brought dates with them in their ration packs. Some sick and injured Germans were nursed back to health at the mission. They ate the dates and dropped the pips, seeding Pella’s first palms.
Gertjie Niemöller, an entrepreneur and local legend, planted the first medjool date palms, brought from California, on his farm Klein Pella in 1977.
Klein Pella now has the biggest date plantation in the Southern Hemisphere and the second-biggest in the world: About 14 000 date palms grow here and the annual harvest weighs about 870 tons, of which two-thirds are exported. Since 1996, Khaki Goosen, who used to play lock for Namibia’s rugby team, has been the manager. His wife Glenda runs the guest house, where you can also taste and buy dates. The view of the groves is reminiscent of Israel: thousands of waving date palms in a mountainous desert, and a placid river winding by.
“People are finally realising that a date is an ordinary fruit with high nutritional value,” Glenda says; “not just dried fruit or an ingredient in a biscuit recipe.”
How do I get there? Follow the Klein Pella signs when you turn off the N14. The date trees near the river are about 12 km from the guest house.
Price? Small dates: R38; Jumbo dates: R50 (per kilogram). Mondays to Sundays
8 am to 7 pm.
Contact: 054 972 9712
(Note: Prices accurate in September 2009)
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