Chapman’s Peak Drive is affectionately known as “Chappies” and is a must for anyone who is passionate about the majestic Cape Town scenery, with sheer drops to the sea below and towering mountains rising above you. The twists and curves in the road seem endless and it is a photographers dream. It is a paradise for motorists, sightseers, picnickers, runners, hikers and bikers (both the motorised and the manual varieties).
Waves are the major cause of erosion along the coast. Waves shape the coast through erosion by breaking down rock and moving sand and other sediments. One way waves erode the land is by the impact. Large waves hit rocks with lots of force. The energy in waves can break apart rocks. Over time waves make small cracks bigger. Eventually, the wave causes the rock to chip off. Waves can also erode rock by abrasion. As a wave comes to shallow water it picks up sediment. Once the wave crashes against land the sediment wears the rock down.
Robberg Nature Reserve is a national monument steeped in history, with prehistoric rocks and Stone Age artefacts. The reserve, situated 8 km south of Plettenberg Bay on the Garden Route, is not only a nature reserve but also a national monument. Rocks from this region date back 120 million years to the break-up of Gondwanaland and evidence of middle and later Stone Age inhabitation has been found in a few of the caves along the peninsula. Visitors can find out more at the Nelson Bay Cave interpretive centre.
