It's early morning on Blueberry Heights farm in Magoebaskloof. I'm sitting on the veranda of their cottage. In the distance, the Iron Crown – the highest peak in the province at 2 126m – is already baking in the sun. A few sips of coffee later, the light paints Ebenezer Dam gold, from the pine trees on its slopes down to the water's edge. Now it's only the hydrangeas and azaleas near the cottage waiting for a touch of sun.
When you drive from Tzaneen in the Lowveld over Magoebaskloof Pass towards Haenertsburg, you climb about 600m up the Wolkberg range, past flowing streams and forest giants. Air rises up the slopes and creates a microclimate with regular mist and rain – ideal conditions for the blueberries and kiwis grown on Blueberry Heights. The balmy, wet summers and cold but sunny winters are good for people, too.
