Haarwegskloof: More than a place; it’s a feeling

The diary of Heidi Lücke-Hauber

Heidi is 66, and a solo traveller from Germany. She visited our Haarwegskloof Renosterveld Reserve in 2024, after her daughter, Sina Hauber, completed her Master’s thesis on renosterveld and its pollinators. Sina used the reserve as her base, and her enthusiasm brought Heidi to the Overberg to experience the reserve for herself.

Heidi writes:

“I decided to stay at Haarwegskloof for three days on my road trip through South Africa. I fell in love with South Africa, despite some of the challenges it faces.”

Heidi shared her diary of her stay at the Haarwegskloof Renosterveld Reserve with the Overberg Renosterveld Trust:

18 October 2024

From where I am sitting, I can see the huge eucalyptus tree that serves as a home for countless birds just a few metres from the house. It was not cut down for this reason, even though eucalypts are introduced trees that displace the original vegetation here. Right next to it is a palm tree. With its slender figure, it tries to reach the height of the eucalyptus tree.

I walk in a north-westerly direction. Tevin (former Conservation Extension Officer) showed me the way there yesterday, which I can take for exploratory walks.

A flower here, a beautiful leaf shape there, rub something … mmmh the herbaceous scent!

I keep walking.

Touch the fluffy grass, rub the firm leaves, savour the scent. Take a photo, listen. Walk on, look, smell, listen, feel, look, feel, smell. Magical!

Further up, I meet the botanist, he is on his way back to his truck. He shows me the piece of renosterveld in the distance that he still wants to investigate.

For me, just walking through nature with awareness, only using my senses: ears, nose, eyes, skin.

At a bench, I take off my shoes and socks, switch off my mobile phone – where I can … just … be. What a sense of wellbeing lies in this ‘just being’.

The beauty of the world.
The truth of life.
The meaning of being here.
The feeling of being at home within myself.
THANK YOU —

Just being here is enough
There is something magical about this place.
Just being here is enough.
And today is a day of just being here.

19 October 2024

I wake up early, listening to the birdsong and I put it in my ‘fond memories’ drawer. 

Getting up, slipping into my jacket, opening the door to the study … The smell of an old school  – which I also put into the ‘fond memories’ drawer.

It’s not warm, but it doesn’t matter.
I open the outside door, take one breath, a second, a third …
Reconciliation with all that is.
How can it smell so good here?

It’s cold and raining outside. I stay inside … for now.
Light the gas, put the kettle on, make tea. Sit at the kitchen table, drink tea.
Chat to the botanist.

Go out, sit, look, breathe in the scent.
I walk around, looking, smelling, seeking shelter from the rain; sitting under the canopy, looking, listening, thinking, wondering.

I look into the distance, wrapping myself up against the strong wind. Sitting at the foot of the large eucalyptus.

Quickly back under the canopy, it’s suddenly pouring with rain.

Then we site in the study in the evening, the botanist sorts, notes, catalogues and I write.

Even when the power goes out (a municipal outage) – I have a candle next to me. I can keep writing.