Detour #152: Durban's most delightful drive, South Africa
Nothing beats local knowledge as South African Detourist Sudhir “Banzai” Matai reveals his favourite hometown road.
From Mozambique in the north to the Eastern Cape in the south there are over 600km of sun-drenched beaches along the KwaZulu-Natal coastline, attracting sun worshippers from all over South Africa. The main artery that brings folks from upcountry is the N3. And once this interprovincial highway T-bones the coast at the N2, holidaymakers head north or south to their seaside destinations. However, there are many driving delights to be had if you are willing to stray a bit from the beaten path.
A few kilometres north of Durban is the town of Verulam, once home to India’s most famous son, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Just beyond this once Indians-only township is a turn-off to the R614 – what looks like driving Nirvana on the map – so we steer our Porsche 911 GTS towards it and turn our backs on the ocean.
We have to clear slow-moving traffic and countless minibus taxis within the first few kilometres of the route. Then we see it, completely broken tar, in fact it could pass for a gravel track. My co-pilot and I start to wonder if this is a good idea. Our sense of adventure trumps and we press on, slowly.
Only a short while later we are back on sealed blacktop that lies under a verdant canopy. As we head further away from the ocean the road opens up, revealing less traffic and more interesting landscapes. The R614 rises and plunges with the terrain through the Kingdom of the Zulu, one moment up on an escarpment, the next down alongside a river.
Every so often we encounter a rural town. One of them seems to be the place where old Toyota Cressidas from the 1990s go to die. We count no fewer than 50 at one stage.
The road starts to flow more and more. Long, fast corners offer good visibility and the condition of the tar is near perfect in most places. There’s never a surprise in terms of a closing radius or, on this occasion, livestock grazing lazily on a verge. Though we are told this often happens here.
My very generous friend (owner of the 911 GTS) and I share the driving duties. These roads seem tailor made for a 911, particularly a GTS that can be enjoyed at less than breakneck speeds. Though there are completely straight sections to let it stretch its legs. We pummel along, enjoying the scenery and the long, sighted sweepers piling on the pace and associated lateral G-forces.
We’re in agreement that the final third of this stretch reminds us very much of Germany, particularly the roads of the Rhineland region. It’s fitting, then, to find the town of Wartburg, no doubt named after the famous German castle close to the end of our planned route. There’s even a brauhaus, sadly closed on this week day jaunt of ours.
The drive up is spectacular and, best of all, unexpected. Before getting too close to the capital of KZN, Pietermaritzburg and the hustle it brings, we turn around. We’ve seen a number of ideal photo locations and need to hustle if we plan to beat the rain.
We point the nose of the 911 south, drop the hammer on the turbocharged flat-six and make haste for the coast. The road less travelled has, indeed, been a pleasant surprise.