Pizza, Passes and Party Waves – A week in the Western Cape

It’s wild how you can meet someone in one day and just go, “Okay… guess we’ll just be friends for life then.” Tehan Martinson was one of those people for me. We were placed in the same lecture group in first year at varsity and never looked back. We’re completely different - he’s wild and endlessly extroverted, while I tend to escape the crowds - but somehow it works.

Three years ago, he married the beautiful Thone, who - after spending her community service year at Grey’s Hospital practically living with us - has become an honorary Phipps. I’ve fully embraced my role as official third wheel.

I’m also godmother to their first child, Mia. I visited them last year in Namibia, near Tsumeb, when Mia was just two months old… and I was in love instantly. Now they’re living in Jacobsbaai in the Western Cape, and they’re expecting their second - a little boy! I decided to take advantage of the long Easter weekend and visit before little Thomas Martinson arrived.

I landed in Cape Town on Tuesday evening, where the company car my dad kindly loaned me was waiting at the airport. I drove straight to my cousin’s hockey match, as I’d be staying with them that night. Their team played well and, after a rough first half, secured a win with two goals in the second. We celebrated with pizza at one of their favourite spots and had a proper catch-up.

Chad’s girlfriend’s brother was getting married on Wednesday, and Caleb had received a last-minute invite when someone couldn’t make it (he was stoked). We met some of the family for padel in Franschhoek, followed by coffee, then went our separate ways. I spent some time wandering around Franschhoek on foot and picking up a few essentials to contribute to meals.

I had some time to kill (I’m not much of a shopper) before meeting family friends - the Goldies - who were visiting from the UK and hosting me for the night in Blouberg. So, I took a drive up the Franschhoek Pass… and wow. What a drive.

There were roadworks with the usual stop-and-go traffic, but I didn’t mind - I was in no rush and absorbed in the scenery. Some sections reminded me of cycling through the Wicklow Mountains in Ireland; others felt like the winding cliffside roads of the Amalfi Coast (minus the ocean and the near-death traffic encounters). I couldn’t help but roll down the windows and smile from ear to ear. The song “Girl’ by SYML came on and it seemed just right for the moment. I felt properly alive - grateful for the chance to experience places like this. I turned around at the bottom of the pass on the other side and headed back.

I took a relaxed drive to Blouberg, stopping whenever something caught my eye. I wanted to swim before meeting the Goldies, so I found a beach, and braved the cold water with Table Mountain towering in the background in all its glory. I ended up making friends with a kid in the water - we bodysurfed waves together while kitesurfers zipped around making the most of the wind and good weather.

Afterwards, sitting on the beach with my Woolies salad, I thought, Hmm… I think I’d really enjoy kitesurfing. I shut that idea down quickly - I should probably get better at my current hobbies first.

That evening, we had pizza at a beachfront restaurant in Blouberg (two nights in a row - almost like being back in Italy). The next morning, after a sad goodbye, I headed off to Jacobsbaai.

The West Coast surprised me. The ocean was beautiful, but the landscape felt flat, brown, and - if I’m honest - a bit dull. I’m sure I’d grow to appreciate it with time, but I’m a sucker for greenery and mountains. I met Thone in Vredenburg, about 10 minutes before Jacobsbaai, where she was doing a big Easter shop - feeding twelve people is no small feat. We grabbed a coffee by the sea and caught up before braving the expected chaos that awaited us.

Mia had grown so much since I last saw her - 16 months old, running everywhere, not quite talking yet but clearly close. She didn’t remember me at first, but I won her over quickly with some strategic bribery and games.

The house was right by the beach - a short sandy walk away. Most days we swam twice: once in the morning, then again in the afternoon. The boys and I would take out boogie boards and stay in the freezing water until our bodies were shaking and knew it was time to get out. The surfers in wetsuits looked at us like we were mad as we walked out in nothing but costumes, bright red from the cold.

Paulo (Gideon’s friend) was much wiser - he brought a wetsuit and surfboard. Every now and then, a perfect wave would roll in, and we’d all shout “PARTY WAVE!” and try to catch it together. Afterwards, we’d warm up in the jacuzzi.

The ocean was calm and inviting most days (aside from the cold), and we got complacent. There were no strong rips, and we swam far out without concern. On Easter morning, Tehan, Matty, and I went for a swim and were pulled further out than expected. It took some effort to get back - but nothing dramatic. Still, it should’ve been a warning.

That afternoon, Tehan and I went out with the boogie boards as we had done every day before, Matty and Gideon were on their way out, Matty had lost his board (which was not uncommon) and they decided to call it a day (thank goodness!), but we soldiered on. Paulo was also on a boogie board and Tehan and I paddled out to meet him. The waves were rough, and we made the mistake of paddling beyond the backline to escape the constant pounding. It didn’t take long to realise we’d been pulled out too far - and that we needed to paddle hard.

I was on a small kids’ boogie board, which didn’t help. Still, I was glad to have it - we’d already agreed that worst case, we’d float and wait for help since the family could see us from the house. There was just one problem: none of the boards had leashes.

Tehan looked at me seriously and said, Robs, no matter what, don’t lose your board. I agreed. We both knew we needed to stay calm and think clearly. We spotted a rip to our left and avoided it as best we could. Oom Tommie, Gideon, and Matty had walked down from the house and were watching us from the beach - unable to help. After what felt like ages of paddling with no progress, we finally reached the break. The waves were big - but they were our way home.

I caught the first wave, gripping the board as tightly as I could, knowing if I lost it, I’d be in trouble.

And then it happened.

I got pulled under. After a few rough tumbles, the board slipped out of my hands.

I resurfaced, forced myself to stay calm, and assessed the situation. The others, who were now far behind me, still had their boards and were strong swimmers - I needed to focus on getting myself back.

As I swam, I kept thinking how stupid we’d been. How we’d missed the signs. How quickly things can change. I even thought about Mia’s Easter egg hunt and how ridiculous it would be if we needed rescuing and ruined the day.

Eventually, Paulo caught a wave, and we both started making progress. Tehan was still behind, struggling. For a split second, I thought about going back - but there was no way that would help the situation. One board between two people wouldn’t solve anything.

The rest was a blur of being dunked, gasping for air, and fighting through waves - until finally, I felt sand under my feet. Relief.

Luckily, Tehan and Paulo weren’t far behind. We all made it back safely - shaken, exhausted, but fine.

I’m uncertain of how long we were out, but it felt like ages. We brushed it off, knowing we’d been careless, but it could have gone very differently. At least it made for a good story - and a solid lesson.

That evening, Mia had her Easter egg hunt, and we celebrated with a glass of wine as the sun set.

We surprised Thone with a baby shower at a small restaurant in Jacobsbaai. Getting her there was the real challenge - convincing her to leave the car instead of staying behind with Mia, then to walk around the corner with me where the party awaited while she insisted, “Robs, there’s nothing there.”

On my last full day, Oom Tommie and Matty decided to walk to the lighthouse whose light we could see at night. They estimated 10km… maybe two hours. It was not. The plan was to pick them up and then have a fish and chips lunch.

We spent the day in Paternoster browsing shops and eating ice cream, then waited at a restaurant near the lighthouse sipping on a cold beer. Turns out the walk was closer to 28km - along long bays… at high tide.

Lunch turned to dinner, we eventually met Tehans mom at the fish and chips spot around 7:30pm. Totally worth the wait.

The next morning, Thone and I wandered around Langebaan, grabbed a peanut butter smoothie, and said our goodbyes. I stopped by my cousins before heading to the airport.

All in all, a week well spent - with wonderful people and my favourite little mouse, Mia.