Head north from Springbok on the N7 for about 7 km and then turn off towards Okiep. The name is Nama in origin and is said to mean either ‘the place of the big tree’, ‘the little fountain’ or ‘brackish spring where copper occurs’. Either way, this was once the location of the richest copper mine in the world.
The smoke stack still stands in Okiep as a monument in remembrance of the pioneer miners of Namaqualand. A short distance outside of Okiep, the road rises over a low saddle between two koppies and then dips across a shallow valley. The fields on either side of this road are often covered with swatches of yellow, white, purple and orange flowers.
Unfortunately, a wire fence will prevent you from walking through the floral wonderland, but it’s beautiful nonetheless. Keep going for another 8 km or so until you reach Concordia.
It is the location of an outcrop of orbicular diorite – a rare rock texture that ‘is the result of granitoid magmas separating while in a fluid state, with one granite type forming ovoid ‘orbs’ showing concentric internal banding, within a groundmass of slightly different composition – whatever that means.
By David Fleminger
Copper was discovered in Okiep as early as 1855 and during the accompanying mining rush miners from all over the world found their way here....
Okiep’s treasures are found in nature, with the Namaqualand flower season being the biggest drawcard. There are beautiful quiver trees wit...