Ashleigh Whaley
Easter at Spurwing Island, Lake Kariba.
Holiday Surprise.
An Easter invitation to Spurwing Island Lodge, on the shores of Lake Kariba, was a wonderful surprise, causing great excitement in the household! Of course, the children loved the idea of another week off homeschooling, to go and explore a new location on Lake Kariba.
Helicopter Ride.
Paula Joy and Murray John were super excited, when they learnt that they would be flying up to Lake Kariba in a helicopter!
They each packed a light bag and set off with great enthusiasm. It certainly was an awesome experience and a real education, as they flew low over the countryside, from Harare to Lake Kariba.
A few days later, once Douglas had the farm organised, we joined them. We drove up to Kariba, then crossed the lake in a friend’s boat.
Spurwing Island Lodge.
We received a warm greeting at Spurwing Island, with the children excitedly recounting all their stories.
The views around Spurwing are spectacular, as the resort looks across the bay, towards the Matusadona National Park.
Bream Fishing.
After a superb lunch, we all headed out for our first afternoon of fishing. It did not take long for the fish to bite!
Kariba has exotic and indigenous bream, so we caught and released the indigenous bream, whilst keeping the exotic bream for our evening bar snacks. Nothing like eating fresh bream, straight from the Lake!
Kariba Sunset.
Kariba is renown for its wonderful sunsets and our first one didn’t disappoint… It is certainly a sight one can never tire of and is one of the reasons we keep returning to the Lake.
Fishing Competition.
Fishing off the jetty in the harbour, is where the children spent their early mornings, leaving us parents to chill and enjoy the view from the lodge. Only the most dedicated will fish at 5.30am!
As we have two very competitive children, it soon became a girls verses boys fishing competition and, subsequently, a great number of fish were caught!
Most days, after a large breakfast, we headed out to fish. On one of our morning trips we went to Long Island, to fish in the deeper water. It was a rather windy day, so no one was sure whether we would catch any fish at all.
The girls took on the boys again and so the fishing began in earnest…The boys caught the first bream and then the game was on and everyone started catching fish! Often, more than one person had a fish on their hook, at any one time. It really was such a chaotic fun time!
One hour and thirty minutes later, 87 bream had been caught, with only the exotic bream kept to eat. Paula Joy had a rare catch, when she caught a Purple Thin Faced Bream, in its black breeding colours.
The competition finally ended in a draw, with everyone exhausted and ready for lunch…
That evening, as we met up with the other island residents, for pre-dinner drinks, we had many fishing stories to tell, and plenty of bream for bar snacks. Much to the children’s delight, no other boats had caught as many bream as they had!
Afternoon Game Drive.
On another evening the children went on a game drive around the island. It was an enjoyable afternoon, learning about the fauna and flora of Kariba, from an experienced Spurwing game guide.
At one stage they stopped to study an elephant skull and also saw a large elephant thigh bone. With the sun setting, and the moon rising, the drive ended in a glorious evening display.
Easter Full Moon.
The full moon, at Easter, was spectacular, especially when viewed by the residents from their speed boats, gathered together in Spurwing Bay.
Sundowners and snacks were enjoyed, whilst watching the moon rise from behind the Matusadona Hills.
Once again, a spectacular sunset preceded the rising moon. -God’s creation is certainly magical!
Easter Sunday.
Easter Sunday began with a buffet breakfast on the lawn, overlooking the Lake. The staff had gone out of their way to make an Easter cake table for us, complete with a worm box filled with chocolate cake and icing worms…
There is nothing like a dose of chocolate for breakfast!
Different Species of Fish Caught.
By the end of the trip the children had learnt about the different species of bream fish in Lake Kariba. They now clearly know the difference between the indigenous and the exotic.
The other fish caught during the week, were small Tiger, Vundu and Squeakers.
Thanks to Spurwing Lodge.
The welcoming atmosphere on Spurwing Island is very warm.
The resort is full of friendly, efficient staff, who go out of their way to make ones’ stay comfortable. The children also made some new friends, whilst playing in the gardens and swimming pool.
We shall certainly return for another special holiday…
Thank you Spurwing!
“This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.” Psalms 118:23.
Here is another Lake Kariba adventure article: ‘Our Houseboat Trip to Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe’.
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