Hole-in-the-Wall


Useful Information

photography
Hole-in-the-Wall, South Africa. Public Domain.
photography
Hole-in-the-Wall, South Africa. Public Domain.
Location: South of Coffee Bay,
(-32.0411, 29.1093)
Open: no restrictions.
[2021]
Fee: free.
[2021]
Classification: GeologyNatural Bridge
Light: n/a
Dimension:  
Guided tours: self guided
Photography: allowed
Accessibility: no
Bibliography:  
Address:  
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then.
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History

1593 the Santo Alberto ran aground near Hole-in-the-Wall.

Description

photography
Hole-in-the-Wall, South Africa. Public Domain.

The Hole-in-the-Wall is a natural bridge formed by the erosion of the sea, a sea cave which pierces a rock at the coast. That's actually not special, there are probably millions of such sea caves along the coasts. But this one is special, as the rock is located in the middle of an estuary. The Mpako River actually flows through that hole and around the tidal island into the sea. The hole is big enough for a sailboat to cross with ease during high tide. During low tide it is possible to walk from the beach through the hole.

A beautiful maiden of the native Xhosa once fell in love with a man of the legendary sea-people. When her father heard of the unnatural liaison, he got angry and forbade her to leave the village.
They lived in a village on the shores of a coastal lagoon separated from the sea by a sheer cliff. One night her lover came to the cliff with his people and rammed a gaping hole through the cliff using the head of an enormous fish. Through this breach they streamed to the village singing and shouting. All the villagers hid, except the maiden, who rushed into the arms of her lover and vanished with them. She was never heard of again.
But under certain conditions the waves slap the rocks with a resounding crack, and the hole roars during storms. Tribesmen believe that these are the sounds of the sea-people singing and shouting. That's why they call the place esiKhaleni or Place of Noise.