FLANKED by a towering mountainside and steep drops to the Atlantic Ocean below, Chapman’s Peak Drive is one of the most spectacular coastal drives in the world.
The landmark will celebrate its centenary this May.
Affectionately known as Chappies, the drive that winds between Hout Bay and Noordhoek was officially opened on May 6, 1922. And now, 100 years later, locals and travellers alike recall fond memories of the 9km stretch of road which has114 curves and spectacular 180° views of the Atlantic coastline.
More than 5 000 Capetonians are registered as frequent users of the drive, passing over the scenic route daily.
The attraction which took seven years to complete at a cost of £20 000, was built by prisoners.
Named after John Chapman, a captain’s mate of the English ship Consent, Chappies was widened in 1962. But in 1977, a portion of the road was washed away and later replaced by a bridge at a cost of R150 000.
Famed though the road may be for its beauty, because the route skirts a rocky mountain (593m) the stretch has known a fair bit of tragedy. Vehicles have crashed over the edge. But the road’s most perilous danger has in fact been geological – landslides and rockfalls after rain.
In 1994, Noel Graham from Wynberg, was left a quadriplegic after a heavy rockfall crushed his car. Five years later Lara Callige died after a rockfall. The events forced authorities to close the drive to traffic in 2000 and significantly re-engineer the slopes above the road. The management team undertook intensive design and reconstruction before reopening the road in December 2003 and instituted a toll to pay for the work.
Louis Melis was one of the specialist geo-technical consulting engineers involved in the reconstruction work. Melis, the team leader, studied the rockfall hazard and undertook the modelling of rockfalls and designed mitigation measures.
Melis said when the drive reopened in 2003, it was a momentous occasion. “The project was designed and built within a record period of 18 months. This was an incredible achievement given the risks involved and the novel construction that was pioneered for the project,” he said.
Melis said one of the things he was most proud of was that nearly 18 years later, there have been no deaths nor serious incidents caused by rockfalls.
“Whilst we remain both humbly and eternally grateful for this, it vindicates the design, as well as the diligence and adherence to the risk-managed approach for the operation of the concession.”
The work of Melis’s team allowed the biggest timed cycle race in the world, the Cape Town Cycle Tour, to pass through Chapman’s Peak as it circles the Cape Peninsula to end where it began at Table Mountain. Cape Town Cycle Tour veteran, Stephen Stefano, has completed every single cycle tour since its inception. When he entered his first race on Saturday, October 28, 1978, Stefano was just 13 years old.
“My relationship with Chappies is 44 years long, bar the years it was closed for reconstruction,” he said.
Stefano said he has cycled up and down the pass more times than he’s driven all the stretch of road.
“The best way to experience Chappies is from the saddle of a bicycle.
“The Cape Town Cycle Tour passes over Chappies and the experience of it, at that part of the race, boosts one’s morale to get to the top, as quickly as possible. There’s never a dull moment on the climb. Once I reach Hout Bay, I always think it’s time to make a U-turn and ride Chappies one more time.”
Stefano said he could not wait to celebrate the centenary in the coming months.
“Roll on May 6, it’s a Friday. Take the day off and come cycle Chappies to celebrate its 100-year milestone!”
Manager and curator at the Hout Bay Museum, Jonty Dreyer grew up in Hout Bay and has fond childhood memories of spending weekends with family at Chapman’s Peak.
“As youngsters, we could camp out and have sleepovers on Chappies. When we were at school, we would practise running along the path,” he said.
At 58, he recalled memories of apartheid, having to walk past the ‘whites only’ beach. “We had our packed lunches and had to walk a long way around to get to Chapman’s Peak Drive because we were not allowed on the so-called white beaches at the time. We had to walk from Hout Bay, over Chapman’s Peak Drive to get a boat in Kalk Bay if we wanted to fish. We would walk back and often hear tales of ghosts (who haunted the pass).
“I remember seeing older folk picking up necklaces on the beach and selling it as artefacts of the historical area, to tourists.”
Anthea Meyer used to be a co-owner of a business that did whale and dolphin sightings in Hout Bay.
“It is the most scenic area to go and spot whales, with an amazing view depending on where you stop,” she said.
“Chapman’s Peak was the only place you could get a wide 180° angle to view the area, which allowed us to look for wildlife. Regardless of what time of the year you went, Chappies was still the perfect watch spot. There was always something to see. From the beautiful peaks to how the light reflects off the mountain, we knew we would behold a beautiful sight.”
Meyer said it became a ritual to go to Chappies every morning, because of the excitement of what each day would bring. “We would go to the highest lookout point or stop along the way to see what that view would give us.”
Brent Thomas runs a tourism company for adventures in Hout Bay called Karbonkelberg Tourism. His business includes hiking and even performing special ceremonies at the rivers and waterfalls located along the drive.
As a an activist for the Khoi, Thomas holds the ancient knowledge of the tribe and shares them on his tours.
“Chapman’s Peak Drive is rich in the history of the Khoi people and this is where they hunted, gathered herds and completed ceremonies for the coming of age,” he said.
“My family and I always hang out at the fountain on the drive and we also go there to do our prayers, wash our dreadlocks and chant songs.
“As Rastafarians, this place is sacred to us and it’s where we grew up. It’s where my kids are growing up now too.”
Enzo Menegaldo was one of the engineers involved in securing the mountain’s slopes in 2000. He works as a consultant with the team that manages Chapman’s Peak Drive.
“The engineering that went into this project is world-class and of international calibre with South African mining technology,” he said.
“The engineering was put together in a very short period of time and for it to still be standing is momentous.”
Menegaldo said he was proud of how well-maintained the road was.
“There aren’t many roads in Cape Town that are this well looked after. There’s a reason people come from far to view this place and it’s not only the views.”
Manager of the Chapman’s Peak Drive project Mark Jacobs said to have been part of the history of the iconic pass for the last 18 years, has been incredible. “There are 114 curves on
the 9km road. There’s never a dull moment on Chappies, every day is a beautiful day.”