North West is about so much more than Sun City

When someone says North West, the first thing you think of is platinum. Or Sun City. Or Pilanesberg Game Reserve. And that would all be spot-on. But there’s more to this province, which borders on Botswana, than the obvious.

If you intend to travel it, do something different; take the herbal route, go German, visit Charles Herman Bosman country, taste the olives of Hartswater, visit Small Heaven near Taung. Offbeat? Maybe, but it will give you a very different view of this mostly arid stretch of South Africa.

Travelling will be easy – the North West is traversed by the N4, N12, N14 and a short bit of the N1. Most of the other major roads are al so in good condition, as SANRAL was given almost 1 400km of provincial roads five years ago and upgraded them to the value of R1bn.

Getting to these offbeat sites may involve some criss-crossing of the province, but the richness of the offering will make it well worth your while. Begin by driving to the Magaliesberg near De Wildt. There you can visit the Margaret Roberts Herbal Centre. This vast garden has a great selection of fresh herbs for use in cooking, for aroma, for healing and medicine in general.

And there’s more: a tea garden, potager garden, shop, lecture hall, a fairy gallery plus a manufacturing studio, where a range of bath products, potpourri, oils, creams and gourmet foods are created. But you have to plan this visit. It’s only open on Wednesdays and the first Saturday of the month.

Not too far off, on the other side of Rustenburg, is Kroondal, originally a German mission town and a place where the heritage is still there in the architectural infleunces, culture and food. The orginal mission church is now the town library. Its replacement is in the town centre and services are usually held in German, with Afrikaans getting one service per month.

Then go west, again via Rustenburg, and you’ll be in Herman Charles Bosman country, named after the famous storyteller who set his stories in Groot Marico. It’s a quiet, rural town with exellent accommodation, and many art and craft markets. If you can, plan it so you can get to the festival named after the author, which is held every October.

You can also visit the Herman Charles Bosman Living Museum, which is an exact replica of the schoool in which he taught. Then, head southwards till you get to Taung. Nearby is a World Heritage Site, where the so-called Taung Child was discovered in 1926 – among the most important early human fossils ever discovered. Find art of the more recent past at Dinkgwaneng, where Khoisan drew messages on rocks to indicate what animals were nearby and where to find food.

Don’t forget Small Heaven, were water streams out of a big rock and is believed to have healing powers.

Also good for you is the extra virgin olive oil, produced at the nextdoor Hartswater, claimed to be truly top of the range. And while you are there, don’t forget the balsamic vinegar, cosmetics, capsules, olive oil soap and, of course, the olive oil and the olives themselves.

Many think North West is about gambling at Sun City, but this road trip will show you how much richer its offering is.