Thursday doors – Pongolapoort Dam

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Welcome to Thursday Doors, a weekly feature allowing door lovers to come together to admire and share their favorite door photos from around the world. Feel free to join in on the fun by creating your own Thursday Doors post each week and then sharing your link in the comments below, anytime between 12:01 am Thursday morning and Saturday noon (North American eastern time).

The Pongolapoort Dam, also called Lake Jozini is located on the Pongola River in northern Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa.

Prior to the construction of the dam, the land was Africa’s first formally recognised conservation area. The Pongola Game Reserve was created in 1894 by the president of the Transvaal Republic at the time, Paul Kruger.

This move ultimately lead to the proclamation of the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi, Mkuze and Ndumo Game Reserves as well as one of Africa’s greatest wildlife conservation parks, the Kruger National Park.

Here are a few pictures from our tour of this dam which contains a lot of hippos. Hippos are hard to capture in photographs as they only pop up for air every five minutes and their time above the surface of the water is very short. They spend up to 16 hours a day submerged under water to keep their bodies cool.

View of the pier with the cruise boats. The on the left has an enclosed area with access doors
A picture of the holiday flats on the shore with glass doors leading onto the balconies
Picture of Tiger Lodge, Jozini, where we met the guide for the cruise
  • On the Pongolapoort dam
  • The wake from the boat
  • This area was dry land until this year. We have had a lot of rain and the trees are underwater.
  • Two hippos popping up for air
  • Another hippo popping up

I am busy finishing off a new collection of poetry called Behind Closed Doors. This amazing cover was designed by Teagan Riordain Geneviene.

You can find Teagan’s designed and ready to use covers here: https://teagansbooks.com/riordain-cover-designs-portfolio/

You can find out more about Teagan’s amazing books here: https://teagansbooks.com/home/

You can join in Thursday Doors here: https://nofacilities.com/2021/04/29/glastonbury-doors/

Published by robertawrites235681907

I am a writer of young adult fiction and poetry

Published

64 thoughts on “Thursday doors – Pongolapoort Dam”

  4. You door series is extraordinary, Robbie. You are taking me to places that I probably will never be able to travel in my life’s time. But I can travel with you, virtually. You have a most excellent travel companion!

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  5. Robbie, as I don’t travel, I look forward to your photo tours. This one is exciting. I like that you indluded the balcony doors. I love balconies. 🙂
    I’m thrilled that you gave my book covers this marvelous shout-out! I’m even happier that you like the cover. Hugs on the wing!

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  6. I love learning about South Africa (and other places) through your posts, Robbie. I find these posts, fascinating, and your photographs are lovely. I join the others in applauding the cover. I recently purchased “Open a new door” and I look forward to your new collection.

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    2. Hi Dan, I am so pleased you like these pictures. We really enjoyed this great cruise and the hippos were fascinating to watch. Teagan is incredibly good at design and writing. Her work has a wonderful uniqueness. Thank you for your support of my poetry book. I hope you enjoy my poems about my life in South Africa.

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      1. Seeing the hippos had to be fun. I didn’t realize they spend so much time under water. That’s a very good description of Teagan. I lam enjoying the book. So far, your poem, “The golden light” is my favorite. The image it evokes of the children is wonderful.

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  8. What an awesome trip Robbie. I would love to see Hippos in the wild, but it will probably never happen. I love the look of the cover for your new book. I just bought your other poetry compilation and hope to read it within the next week. Good luck with this one and congratulations.

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    1. Hi Carla, lovely to see you. Hippos are fascinating to watch. I learned that they don’t actually swim but rather run in the water. I thought that was rather amazing. I hope you enjoy Open a new door, some of those poems are very close to my heart.

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  10. I really enjoyed your photos of Pongolapoort Dam, particularly the hippos coming up for air. I’ve only seen them in zoos, and they are definitely not happy there. Congratulations on the new poetry collection! As others have noted, Teagan’s cover is excellent! What reader will be able to resist wanting to see behind those closed doors?

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    2. Hi Liz, I think of my writing as pulling ideas and thoughts out of my head and transferring them to a piece of paper – much like Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter with his memories. Sometimes it feels as if I can connect those thoughts to another person, and they pluck the idea out of my head and create the perfect cover. This is the case with Teagan who also created the cover for Poetry Treasures. It is wonderful and results in a perfect collaboration.

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  11. Wonderful images, Robbie and so lovely to see hippos wild and free as they should be such magnificent animals. Love your cover design …Teagan is a whizz with cover designs 🙂 x

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    1. Hi Carol, the hippos are amazing to watch. They all had young so it was even more interesting. We watched a croc trying to stalk a baby, but he was most unsuccessful and when Mama Hippo spotted him, he disappeared very fast. A hippo will kill a croc with one bite. Teagan’s designs are incredible. She has designed three for me.

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      1. Hi Robbie..good for mama hippo..crocodiles are one of the animals which just kill whereas other animals kill because of hunger the croc doesn’t they drag pray into their lair.I agree Teagans designs are amazing…I would definitely use her 🙂 x

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    2. Thank you kindly, Carol. I try to make my Designed & Ready covers flexible. I never expected the anthology Robbie had in mind for that particular cover — but as soon as she described her book, I could see the fit. She really has a terrific vision for knowing what her ideas “look like” — that’s not an easy thing for most people to do. Thanks for your supportive remarks. Hugs!

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  13. I love taking photos of doors, gates, and bricks as well as roofs and chimney tops. My siblings do as well. We are a special breed. Love your photos and info. South Africa is special to me and my family some of whom lived there so this is very special seeing these. I just heard that the Queen of the Zulu has died, a month after her husband, the late King. difficult times.

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    1. It is difficult times, Jane. I did look for the hotel you mentioned, by the way, but I didn’t find it. It may have changed its name. I also love taking pictures of places and I have a bit of a chimney fetish. I have hundreds of pictures of English chimneys of all sizes and widths.

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      1. Not to worry, I think it must have gone, my cousin says there is a huge slum in the area the now. She has just come to England after 20 years in SA. Finding it all changed.

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  17. Roberta, I enjoyed your post and photos as I got a glimpse of South Africa sights. The book cover looks great, too. Have a wonderful week! #ThursdayDoors

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  20. Love the first view from high up:) We used to live till last year Aug. at 3000 feet, that’s why:)

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  21. Amazing that you ‘caught’ the Hippos! Kind of like when I spotted an young owl (a few years ago) and a little brown bat last week (both during the day!

    Lovely images. Continued success on your poetry book 😀

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