The Name is Africa, Rhino Africa – A 007 Year End Fiesta

The Rhino Africans celebrated the year that was with a bang! James Bond 007 style. Organised by our secret agent known only as “Preston” (thanks Preston!), we embarked on an extraordinary Western Cape version of the Amazing Race. We were divided into teams named after each of the 007 villains – Spectre, Goldfinger, Blofeld, Zorin and Octopussy.

The Amazing Race

It started with a taxi race from our offices to various hotels in Cape Town – the One&Only, Cape Grace, Cape Royale, Taj and Mount Nelson. From there we hopped into limos – two Hummers, two Jeeps and one Ford F-250 to accommodate all 55 of us.

The Ford F-250 was by far the best! As if being in the biggest limo with a jacuzzi in the back wasn’t good enough, it came with champagne and muffins. Not a bad way to start a morning. The driver had us in a tailspin as we tried to get out of him where we were headed.

We pulled up at Polkadraai Farm Stall where the race was on to see who could pick the closest to 1 kg of strawberries and to shoot the most innovative photo of their team. Picture people crawling in the grass, running through strawberry fields, climbing on tractors, scaling giant strawberries… all round ruckus. We hopped back in our limos, which were transformed into mini-nightclubs with smoke and strobe lights; pop tunes and more bubbly, as the countryside flashed past us through the windows.

The limos dropped us off somewhere in Elgin, about 45 minutes from Cape Town, at a farm where the True North Team Building and Adventure Company operates.

Stomachs strong after a buffet lunch, we hopped in a tractor and raced off on the next leg. Sure some might have preferred to have been soaking their toes in hot lava but most enjoyed the adventure… We rope-walked across a swamp (some decided to take a dip instead), played Robin Hood trying our hand at archery, zip-lined high up over a dam, kayaked and built rafts to race across the water. All as the sun baked down on us and the tequila shot penalties took their toll. Team rivalry ended in some people being tackled and thrown in the dam and some taking a cooler box of ice water to the head. Fun times.

A convoy of cars then whisked us off the Mofam River Lodge a few minutes on a dirt road away. It doubles up as a professional ski school so water sports are big here. There is an out-of-this world river winding through the mountain valley that we took no time in diving into. The speed boat rides – complete with hair-raising 360 degree turns – added further adrenaline to the action-packed day.

A 007 Soiree

Us James Bond girls – although some guys tried to get in on the action too – were treated to having our make up done by professional makeup artists from M·A·C Cosmetics in a free-from tent – with flutes of champers to boot. Then it was lights, camera, action time as we strutted down the red carpet to the main venue for the evening.

Cocktails, dinner and speeches by Rhino Africa leader David Ryan followed, along with a prize giving for the winning team of the day and the best dressed girl (Sam, who came as Pussygalore) and guy (Craig, as Russian mobster).

Then it was party time! Vegas Nights arranged a night at the casino for us upstairs, with craps, poker, black jack, and roulette in true Casino Royale style. We ended the night shuffling and arm-waving on the dance floor until the early hours of the morning. Memorable indeed! Even for those who knocked back one too many…

A Final Word

Thanks to Anton De Wit, Terence Ryan and Justine Ryan for organising this awesome event! It’s been a great year at Rhino Africa – one to remember. Stay tuned for the Year in Review blog coming next. And be sure to have yourself a merry festive season whatever the holidays mean to you.