Haga Haga Act Project 2011
The little seaside village of Haga Haga is the epitome of the Wild Coast, just 75 kilometres from East London.
There is something of the magical to this part of the world - lush green hills intermingled with forested and deeply carved river valleys that roll down breathtakingly precipitous cliffs onto long, white beaches and secluded bays. Haga Haga nestles at the mouth of the river of the same name - perfect for swimming, sailing and canoeing, and the various rock pools and the beach make for wonderful days spent collecting shells and splashing in the shallows. There are generous rocky outcrops and ledges that allow for great fishing, and hiking here is possibly one of the most rewarding ways of seeing Haga Haga and other little seaside villages like it. The lower Wild Coast Trail extends from Qora Mouth via Haga Haga to the little town of Cintsa, and is an epic walk that takes in some of the most unspoilt and scenic aspects of the coastline.
The unusual name of the village seems to stem from the days when farmers brought their livestock to the coast during the winter months for grazing for as long four months at a time. In a bid to cross the beach, they would unspan one team of oxen and hook them onto another team. This then lead to the use of ‘haka haka’, which in Xhosa means to ‘hook on’, to describe this beach. Others believe that the name is simply an emulation of the unrelenting pounding of the surf on the shore.
Why Haga Haga?
When I, Mikayla Bader (17), returned from the Nunavut Expedition in August 2011, I was so inspired to start ACTing in an effective and positive way in my own country. Since I was born I have travelled to the magical Wild Coast of South Africa and the rugged coastline is a place close to my heart.
Aim of the Project
To bring together a group of passionate, inspired and motivated youth from around South Africa to ACT in a way that allows us to LEARN about the area and assist in preserving the magnificent environment. As well as to EXPLORE the stimulating coastline and brainstorm new ideas for future plans for the YEP.
Outline of the Project
Our 5 day program which includes:
- planting trees around the village
- assisting a coastline clean up
- boost the self esteem of beach cleaners to take pride in their jobs
- visit an abalone farm and learn about aquaculture
- clear a local farm of poaching snares
- learn about the marine life in the area
- overnight hike to Morgan Bay
- rock climbing on the cliffs of Morgan Bay
- a presentation about the YEP and our expeditions
- brainstorming for future projects
- lots of fun
Watch the website for daily blogs and pictures! For more information contact me
Who’s getting involved?
- Mikayla Bader (17), Nunavut Expedition
- Henko Roukema (19), Nunavut Expedition
- Kai Fitchen (18), Himalaya Expedition
- Robyn Lighton (19), Himalaya Selection Camp
- Reghardt Pistorius (18)
- Anchen van Dyk (20)
- Charl Reyneke (17)
- Jessica Bader (19)
- Any enthusiastic locals
Walking with the beach cleaners
- After speaking to the president of the conservancy, I learnt that there are people paid to walk and clean the beaches of this area, however they are given little to no recognition for their good work.
- One of the mornings we will give them a short presentation of who we are and the YEP. We will walk with them, helping them, give them free t-shirts and share a picnic.
- Hopefully this will boost their self esteem, increase their pride in their work and allow them to realise their importance in the community.
Snare search
- A local farmer has problems with poaching snares on his farm. We will walk his farm and help search for these snares and remove them.
Visit to the abalone farm
- One of South Africa’s largest abalone farms lies about 10km from Haga Haga. I think it would be extremely interesting to visit this farm and learn about abalones that were declared endangered species in 2007.
Haga Haga 2011 Project 
Haga Haga 2011 Project blogs
... and watch the Haga Haga Project video...
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Day 1 - December 14, 2011
Today the first South African ACT Project started. After the arrival of the touring party, of Henko, Kai, Robyn and Leni, we went to the Abalone farm near Haga Haga. The tour started with us being briefed about photo taking protocol, washing our shoes and who our tour guides would be for the various stages of breeding.
This commercial Abalone farm industry is young and still growing. This industry plays an important role in the protection of the wild Abalone as it supplies to the demand from the East, so that there is less market share for black market merchandise. Above this the farm also doesn’t contaminate any of the 76.8 million litres of water that flows through the farm every day and they don’t heat or cool any of the water needed for the operation. This has obvious benefits for electricity usage and the carbon footprint of the farm.
Although there is no temperature control of the water the water that leaves the farm is warmer because it is channelled into smaller bodies of water, which has over the 15 years of operation created a tropical ecosystem in the ocean area at the outlet of the farm. This might be seen as a negative effect, but the waters had been dead before the establishment of the farm as there had been huge amounts of poaching.
The tour was very informative and extremely interesting, seeing a multi-million Rand operation enterprise work with like clockwork across a couple of square kilometres, once again just showed me how significantly insignificant I am, and how significantly significant my actions are.
After the tour of the farm we head back to Base Camp in Haga Haga central, where Kai and Henko headed for the waves. And after some spectacular waves and some even more breathe taking wipe-outs we had supper and our exhausted bodies crashed to bed with the sound of the waves in our ears.
Haga Haga Project 2011 - Day 1
Day 2 - December 15, 2011
We started the day by going on a short hike to get a feel for the surroundings and experience the beauty of this area first hand. Heading off, away from the sunrise, we hiked up a steep hill covered in endemic flora that was covered with greenery and purple flowers. After a short time we reached the top of Whale Point where we were met with a fresh breeze and a well-deserved view of a sweeping coastline. A short walk turned out to be a 5km hike because we were hungry for more of this pristine landscape. Picking up any litter that had been washed up onto the beaches we breathed in the fresh air and enjoyed each others company and stories.
Straight after breakfast, the YEPs joined the man in charge of the Haga Conservancy, Roger Rensburg, to plant indigenous trees and encourage the men who do this as an everyday job. We were picked up by the tractor carrying the trees and hang on for a short trip to where we would be planting 30 wild plum trees. Roger gave us the correct process of how to plant a tree and each of us had a specific job to do. In true YEP style everyone was so enthusiastic and before we knew it the holes were dug, the trees were in, watered and of course named. Hopefully we will be able to return in a few years time to see how “our“ trees are doing!
Heading back we jumped off at the beach and an unconventional game of soccer/netball began. The teams were boys against girls and we were joined by the beach cleaners and our fellow tree planters for a great time. It was one of our goals to encourage and thank the beach cleaners and tree planters for their important contribution to preserving this coast line and we can proudly say we acomplished this.
As the day came to an end we did our first presentation as a group on who Mike Horn is, what the Pangaea YEP is about, our exciting stories from our expeditions, our future plans and we even left the audience with some useful and practical green tips for this festive season. It was a very well delivered talk and by the end many people were asking questions and showed great interest. To conclude a busy but productive day we went out for supper at the local hotel.
Haga Haga Project 2011 - Day 2
Day 4 - December 17, 2011
Today was our earliest start yet as we packed our backpacks and began our hike along the magnificent Wild Coast to the small town of Morgan Bay. We walked into the rising sun but also a strong headwind. This didn´t deter us and we continued until we reached Double Mouth, picking rubbish up along the way. We had a truly amazing experience when we saw a pod of dolphin swimming a few meters away from us while we stopped for a break on a huge rock jutting from the sea. At Double Mouth we were met with a deep river that we were forced to swim across despite the freezing cold water. Luckily we managed to secure our bags and equipment to keep them dry and laughed all the way across. Finally after half a day of hiking we arrived at our beautiful campsite alongside the Morgan Bay lagoon.
Morgan Bay is renowned for its crags and with Kai being a very passionate climber we seized the opportunity to explore the cliffs. Kai, with local climber Jonathan, set up a few routes and introduced us to the basics of rock-climbing. We enjoyed the climbing and seeing the coastline from a different perspective. Thanks Kai! :)
In the evening we rounded up the town to Morgan Bay Hotel where we gave a presentation another presentation. Once again it was well delivered and we were extremely happy to receive compliments from the manager of Mercedes Benz South Africa who happened to be in the audience.
Having finished the final presentation of the trip, relief and excitement washed over the YEPs. We all chilled out at the hotel for a few hours and then strolled back to our campsite. The starry evening and the background sounds of the rough waves allowed for the perfect excuse to sleep under the night sky.
Haga Haga Project 2011 - Day 4
Day 5 - December 18, 2011
After a memorable night enjoying each other’s company and having fun camping out under the stars we packed up our campsite and left Morgan Bay before it got too hot and windy. We set out for our hike back to Haga Haga with refuse bags in hand to again pick up the litter along the coast that gets washed up with every changing tide. The majority of the litter we picked up was plastic bottles and containers. The thought that these items were floating in the sea probably causing damage to our precious sea life is extremely sad however we drew happiness to know that us collecting it would stop it causing any further damage.
It was a long walk and the African sun beat down on us while a strong South East wind blew. We were all feeling rather tired but were reenergized whenever we looked up and saw our breath taking surroundings. Along the way we also came across a group of runners, who were racing the annual HagMorKei Adventure Race. We encouraged all of them as they were only at the beginning of the race and still had a long way to go and a few thanked us for what we were doing to clean up the coast.
We eventually reached the Bader’s family house and enjoyed a well-deserved and delicious brunch. Afterwards we unpacked and organized all our belongings and gear. In the afternoon we gathered to share our stories and discuss further projects as well as doing a debriefing on the Haga Haga Project.
In true South African style we ‘braaied’ some real meat and some Veggie Patties. =) Our last night together flew by and Mikaila and the rest of us never wanted it to end.
Haga Haga Project 2011 - Day 5
Day 6 - December 19, 2011
The Mercedes Benz Vito leaves in a cloud of dust and this officially marks the end of the Haga Haga ACT Project. I sit overlooking the crashing waves and reflect on the past 5 days while the now quiet house echoes with our music and laughter. I am so proud to definitely be able to say that we explored this wild coast and all her beauties, we learnt about our surroundings, our impact and each other and we effectively acted to protect this special place all while inspiring people around us, spreading the Pangaea message and having an absolute blast.
I would like to thank everyone who contributed to make this project happen. The Mike Horn Team for your never ending support and advice. All the YEPs who travelled from far and wide, gave up their school holidays to be a part of my dream and did everything with such enthusiasm and passion, I really thank you. And lastly to my family and the people of Haga Haga for all your effort and hard work that made each day as awesome as they were.
I think I can speak on behalf of the South African YEPs (and Leni from Germany ) when I say that we as a country and group have phenomenal projects and times ahead of us. With our combined strengths, energy, resources and passion there is no doubt we are going to make a huge difference! We look forward to many more projects in the future and sharing them all with you.
A big thank you once again!
Mikayla Bader
HAGA HAGA PROJECT 2011 - DAY 6
