WIND TURBINE BLADE
Umoya Energy Wind Farm, situated on either side of the R45 on the West Coast of South Africa, supplies the country with 176 600 MWh of much-needed green energy per year.
For a long period of time as we drove in and out from Cape Town to our farm in Hopefield we saw a single blade ( You couldn’t miss it) laying alongside the road at the entry to the wind farm.
We bought it from Umoya Enegery Windfarm and had it placed on our farm for visitors to look at when they come to the Plaasmol Padstal and to see up close how big it is. This gives you a perspective of how big one complete wind turbine is.
Blade Length: 49m | Blade Weight:7 TON | Foundation: 380 – 395 cubic meters concrete |Top Speed: 120 km/p
THE GIANT PIZZA OVEN OF KLEINE HOPEFIELD
In 2020, during the challenging days of the global pandemic, Burger van den Berg — owner of Kleine Hopefield destination farm — joined forces with a fellow visionary to attempt something extraordinary: building the largest pizza oven in the world.
Together with Italoven, the massive oven was created with an inner diameter of 3.4 meters. The project was launched as a Guinness World Record attempt, not just for the title, but as a way to inspire hope and raise funds for those in need. Sponsors could “buy a brick,” and their names were permanently remembered on a plaque, symbolizing the unity and generosity that fueled the project.
Although the Guinness World Record title itself was never secured, the oven stands tall today as a true West Coast wonder — one of the largest of its kind, and a spectacular sight for all who visit Kleine Hopefield.
Now, the oven has become more than just a monument. It’s a landmark full of potential: from pizza cook-offs and foodie festivals to special pizza days celebrating family and community. While these events are yet to come, the stage is set for unforgettable moments around this one-of-a-kind oven.
Trolley
Widely considered to be the biggest shopping trolley in the world, the Mega Trolley was created by Shoprite in 1989.
Its dimensions are 4.33m (h), 4.14m (l) and 2.5m(w) with a cubic holding capacity of 14 000ℓ.
The trolley was primarily used to collect charitable donations in stores, outdoor promotions and was also used at new Shoprite store openings as a focal point.
POPLAP SE STOEL
In 2015, Poplap se Stoel was unveiled with great excitement. Standing 11.5 meters tall and weighing 2.7 tons, this giant chair was built by Burger van den Berg as a birthday gift to his wife, Elsabe — lovingly called “Poplap.” The launch was even attended by then-mayor Francois Schippers of Saldanha Bay Municipality.
Back then, visitors could brave a 6.16-meter ladder climb to enjoy a bird’s-eye view of Hopefield. Over the years, the chair became a favorite stop for adventurers and photo seekers alike.
Today, Poplap se Stoel has been given new life. Recently moved to the front of Kleine Hopefield and painted a bold, cheerful yellow, it now stands as a glowing landmark over the West Coast. At night, it lights up as a beacon welcoming travelers.
For safety reasons, the chair can no longer be climbed — but it has transformed into something even bigger: a symbol of love, heritage, and the quirky character of the West Coast. Visitors are invited to stop, snap a photo, and let this one-of-a-kind landmark become part of their journey.
AIRPLAIN – DAKOTA MARK 3
Well, it has a fascinating history.
The aircraft was built in December 1943 as a Douglas C-47A-DK in Oklahoma City for the United States Air Force. Its serial number was 12205. It later became the property of the United States Army Air Force and was issued with a military serial number 42-92408. This serial number was left unused and the aircraft was transferred to the Royal Air Force under the lend-lease program as FZ647 “H” (The “H” was the radio call sign). On being impressed into the Royal Air Force, the aircraft was known as a “Dakota Mark 3”. On June 5 & 6, 1944 she is confirmed as having been a glider tug with no 512 squadron RAF and was used in “Operation ‘Coup de Main’ / Operation Tonga”, the first stage of the Airborne assault in the Normandy landings in June 1944.
In between the main airborne operations of D-Day, Arnhem and the Rhine crossing, it carried out casualty evacuation and general transport duties.
Following the end of hostilities, it flew missions to the Middle East before moving to Egypt in early October 1945 and later Italy, from where it flew various routes including Greece, Egypt, Romania, Austria, and the UK. In February 1946, it returned to the UK, was demilitarized, and thoroughly overhauled at Scottish Aviation before being sold to THY ( Türk Hava Yolları)Turkish Airlines as TC-EKE on the 25 July 1946.
It served THY faithfully for 12 years until it was sold in 1958 to Ethiopian Airlines and served them for 33 years! During 1969 she was leased to the Ethiopia-United States Mapping Mission to be used in the aerial photography of Ethiopia and Djibouti. As one of the longest-serving of Ethiopian Airlines DC-3’s (DC-3 is the civilian version of the military nomenclature, C-47) it was eventually sold in April 1991 to Swaziland-based, Mozambican Airline, Scan Transportes Aéreos as C9-STF.
It carried food throughout Mozambique during the devastating civil war. In mid-1996 she was removed from service, stripped of useful components (to be re-used on other Dakotas) at Rand Airport, Germiston, and later transported by road to Cape Town for static display at Ratanga Junction.
Quite a story, quite a history.
Train
The coaches were used by the railways as sleeper coaches. These were 3rd class coaches and 6 people could sleep in a coach.
In 2020 I was contacted by a scrapyard owner who could not let this part of history be destroyed and be gone forever.
The train coaches were cut into halves to be able to transport them with no overloading transport cost.
Kleine Hopefield bought the train and it was delivered in 2021.
The idea is to turn it into accommodation when the time is right.