On 6th of March CPSS and some friends met for an underground adventure of a different kind. We traded our bat cave for for a rat’s tunnel, and went underground below the street of Cape Town.
The meet was guide by Matt Wiese, who runs a tour operation specialising in these historical tunnels, if you would like to experience this part of cape town, then take a look at his companies website. http://www.goodhopeadventures.co.za/tunnel-tours
We all met at the Castle of Good Hope to sign in and then arrange a lift club to the top of town where our adventure began, but before leaving some vital preparation was need so that we could exit the tunnel.
The ladder is dropped down into the tunnel and secured so that when we need to surface we still have a ladder waiting for us. We got into our convoy and regrouped in the parking lot of the entrance manhole.
In no time our first tunnel explorer was inside and ready to go. Once we were all below the surface, the manhole was put back in place, we were ready share the journey of the mountain water running down the Platteklip River, before it enters the ocean, something which is being addressed by the Reclaim Camissa project.
Read more on how the Reclaim Camissa project is trying to save this water and put it to use for the City of Cape Town. This is a short excerpt from the project page.
CAMISSA, meaning ‘the place of sweet waters’ is the ancient Khoi name for Cape Town. Embedded, lost and obscured within the city’s fabric this vital ecological and cultural link still exists…. LET’S RECLAIM CAMISSA, TOGETHER.
With this in mind we set off on our journey. The begin of the tunnel requires a little crouching, but pretty soon, we were all upright and walking normally.
A little stream of crystal clear water was flowing, and the wellington boots did well to keep it out.
As we continued Matt explained the history behind the tunnels as we walked single file and adjusted to the slippery bricks.
We walked under manhole covers and could see the cars above whizzing over them, often with a dull thud as they drive over the it.
As cavers we were happy to be able to follow a passage and know where it leads, and to be able to walk and not crawl for a change, but also to see the calcite formations, resembling the stalactites seen in Cango.
We really enjoyed these pretty formations, proving that even in a sewer you can find beauty.
Our tour was nearing the end, and as we continued in the tunnel it became clear how through the years work was done on the canals evident by the type of bricks and colour of them.
Take notice the change of colour between the bricks in these pictures. The canals were used until a plague broke out in Cape town, after which they were sealed to create the circular tunnels which you see today.
The below picture is of the junction where a different tunnel servicing District 6 meets the Buitenkant tunnel.
We returned to our trusty ladder, and made a safe exit into the grounds of the Castle.
It was a historically educational tour and overall a good morning out. Thanks to Matt for taking us once again.