Everyone has settled in well and is making lots of new friends from across the world! The Summit is located in the middle of the iMfolozi Game Reserve and based around a huge geodesic dome. They are sleeping in tents that hold 10 people on foam mattresses. The camp is surrounded by electric fences to keep out the animals and patrolled by armed guards. It’s quite an experience.

It is 6am here and the camp is starting to come alive. It is World Rhino Day and we have some rock stars of conservation talking today. The students are in groups of 10 and there are sessions throughout the day where they work through different aspects of the poaching crisis.

It is fantastic to have representation from NZ here and personally very satisfying that our students are contributing on the global stage.

DAY TEN:

The last day of our adventure we travelled to Thula Thula Reserve, where were introduced to the owner Francoise, Lawrence Anthony's late wife. Lawrence Anthony was an international conservationist and the writer of the book the Elephant Whisperer, another highly respected man in South Africa.

We visited this reserve to see the rhino orphanage that is under construction. From what we could see and what we were told, it sounds like this orphanage is going to be state of the art and a perfect place to protect orphaned rhino. They will get top quality care until they are fit and healthy to survive on their own in the wild. This is the first rhino orphanage being built from scratch and is something The Lawrence Anthony Earth Foundation can be very proud of. Imake a Difference will be raising funds to help this cause, so watch this space.

We then travelled back to our initial destination in Balito, were we could have a good night sleep before flying out the next day.

What an amazing trip! Such an experience to see rhino in the wild and see all of the projects that Imake a Difference supports in action. Everyone is doing a great job trying to fight this poaching problem. It's great to see how much Imake a Difference's support is really appreciated by all those in Africa. Our support is really making a difference!

I would like to say a big thank you to Peter, Hamish and Dawdy for this amazing opportunity and I now feel better equipped to really push our charity and do everything we can to help keep these precious rhino alive!

DAY NINE:

So today was a day Ingrid and I were really looking forward to. Through Pete's contacts we were given the opportunity to visit a rhino orphanage. As this is a high security area, general public don't normally have this opportunity. This is where baby rhino can go if they are orphaned due to horrible poaching incidents. The location of this orphanage cannot be mentioned for the safety of the baby rhino.

This was such a fascinating but also sad place to visit. The poor baby rhino cry for many days until they get used to the idea of not having a mother anymore. It requires a lot of dedication by the staff feeding them milk as well as pairing the rhino up with goats to keep the rhino company or other older rhino they have in the orphanage. They have to be very careful though to not provide them with too much human contact as when they return to the wild they need to be able to fend for themselves without a human standing by their side.

Usually you can get in the pen with the babies but unfortunately the rhino that were currently there were being weaned from human contact. We got to pat one through the fence though, wow what hard leathery skin they have. So cool to get so close to a rhino to actually touch one. You wouldn't being doing that in the wild, that's for sure.

Then we moved on to a most amazing place called Shakaland. This place was made to film Shaka Zulu but then was bought by Kingsley Holgate. Kingsley Holgate is a very well respected man in South Africa. He is considered one of Africa's most colourful modern day explorers, a humanitarian explorer, author, tv personality and fellow of the Royal Geographic Society. Getaway magazine calls him their “Explorer in Residence, the most travelled person in Africa”. As well as that he does a huge amount to try and combat the rhino poaching problem. He's a man with many great values and one you can learn a wealth a knowledge from. I was honoured to meet him! He can also sink a fair few Caption Morgan and coke's when it is party time :).

Kingsley's main aim for Shakaland is for tourists to gain insight into the Zulus' former traditional way of life. Shakaland contains a large number of traditional Zulu homes called beehives with the walls made out of branches with dried reed roofs and small doors you need to bend down to get through. It's amazing how strongly they're built and was a great experience to sleep in a traditional style home. As well as this, the tour guide explained to us the typical set up of family houses, and who sleeps where, we watched a video explaining the story of King Shaka, saw how they weave mats, how to make spears, how to make beer out of maize (I think we could sell them a Grainfather, the perfect target market :), had a go at traditional fighting and balancing pots on our heads. Wow I don't know how the women do it and they are normally carrying a lot more weight than we tried.

Finally we watched traditional Zulu and Swazi dancing and singing. These were amazing performances, I definitely couldn't stand up there and do the moves they were doing. Very flexible people. To complete the celebrations we also judged another Rhino Art competition, providing the winner with a bike, as well as a very adorable 6 year old girl with a bike, who was one of the finalists. I just wanted to pick her up and sneak her into my luggage :). Kingsley also thanked Peter, Hamish and Dawdy for donating R250,000 to the cause.

What a jam packed day, but definitely a memorable one! We even got an article written about Imake a Difference in The Observer Zululand!

DAY EIGHT:

We headed out at 6am to do a drive through the Hluhluwe - iMfolozi game reserve. This trip was a bit quieter than other game drives we have been on but we saw many magnificent birds such birchalls coucal, fiery night jars and eagles. Then whilst attending to Jamie, Lou spots a murder of crows, what a great spotter she is!

She knew straight away that there must another animal around and she was right. We saw two male lions. One sunning himself, fast asleep and the other eating away at a buffalo through the bushes. Wow what a stench of the rotting carcass! What a magnificent thing to see! Lions are such amazing creatures, so strong and powerful. I definitely wouldn't want to be too close to them.

We were then feeling a bit under the weather, tired and just about eating off our arms in hunger, so we headed back up to the restaurant. Food was just what I needed. Then we had a bit of a siesta before heading out on a sundowner drive. The African sunsets are so beautiful, I love watching the bright orange sun slowly going down behind a hill. Could watch it forever.

DAY SEVEN:

This morning we sadly leave Tempe camp and head to ZAP Wing, the Zululand Anti Poaching Wing. This is a highly important organisation which deals with monitoring rhino poachers. This is a project that Imake a Difference supports. Imake a Difference pays Ettiene's (a high qualified pilot) salary. ZAP Wing a small plane and a number of helicopters which provide aerial surveillance of all of the game reserves in KZN. They have pilots who monitor certain reserves every day as well as act reactively when there is a poaching incident.

We were offered a magnificent opportunity to go up in one of the helicopters and experience a sneak peak of what the pilots do day to day. We saw rhino, giraffes, wilderbeests and impala from up above and Etienne showed us the boundary fence and explained the problems they have with the local community being so close to the boundary. What an experience of a life time though, not many can say they have been in a helicopter looking at game in a reserve!

We then head to Hluhluwe Hill Top Camp, wow what a difference to the camping we have been used to. Beautiful chalets with ensuites and balconies looking out on trees with monkeys. A perfect place to go to after being out in the bush for the last 5 days, but I do have to admit I am missing the camping atmosphere. Getting up early and sitting by the fire etc.

Before the reserve closes we go out for another game drive. What an experience, we saw about 19 rhino in one drive with them all a couple of metres away from the vehicle and 2 or 3 herds of elephant and a big herd of buffalo. It was magnificent to see them all up so close , what beautiful animals! So huge and prehistoric. We had a little problem where an elephant got so close to one of the cars we thought they were going to charge us. Stew held his ground but Hamish and Dawdy were terrified and reversed all the way back. Luckily the elephant was harmless and walked off to the side of the track. All a part of the experience I say!

Definitely the largest amount of game we saw in one drive yet. What a magnificent day!

DAY SIX:

Today was an early start; we left the camp at 6am to go to Tempe Elephant Park. Unfortunately our safari ute had problems with the clutch and the starter motor so we had to borrow Andrew’s 4x4 to do the morning drive while our open top ute got fixed.

The morning safari started off slowly with not much game to see, just a few impala and nyala floating around but we're a bit bored of them by now as we have seen so many. But as the sun came up and the temperature got warmer, more animals started coming out. We saw two groups of elephants but they wouldn’t come out for a good photo shot, they like to hide behind the trees. We also saw a lion sitting next to the waterhole in the sun, with many impala surrounding him, relaxing in the sun. I think he had already had his breakfast for this morning so he wasn’t interested in much around him. Ingrid named this one Simon. We also saw a blue balled monkey and saw many lovely birds at the hide looking through our binoculars.

We then returned to the camp site for a delicious breakfast of French toast and bacon. Before we went out on the afternoon drive, the girls thought we could walk to the butterfly dome which is within our camp to look at the butterflies. Unfortunately it wasn’t quite the right time of year to see the beautiful butterfly but we saw many caterpillar and chrysalis.

Then it was time to do our afternoon drive. It started off with a bang! We saw an elephant very close to us on our right rummaging through the leaves. It was so close that it started walking towards us and we had to quickly start our vehicle and get it moving before we were gone-burger! Then another few hundred metres in front of us, there was another elephant walking towards us. It was only about 10 metres in front of us. Was a bit scary as we were in his planned walking path, made for some great photos though! We had to reverse a bit and luckily he pulled off to the side, allowing us to pass.

We also had a great siting of two mongooses fighting in the middle of the road, two male nyala locking horns and having a play fight and great viewing of a group of buffalo. Then after that we had another magnificent siting of lion walking, we had to illegally drive up a no exit road to get a better viewing but it was well worth it.

Now we are back in the camp chatting waiting for dinner. What a great day! Seeing the lion (Simon) and elephant up close was definitely one of the highlights of my trip.

DAY FIVE

Wow what a night, guess what we had walking through our camp? At 3am Stew and Chloe heard leopard calls from the top of the hill and then another call getting closer to us, soon realising that they were going to walk right through our camp. After they had passed Chloe and Stew got up and found huge leopard foots prints, both female and male prints. I am glad I didn’t have to do a pit stop in the night, seeing a leopard walking in front of me would’ve definitely terrified me and kept me from walking down to the toilets again!

That morning it was time for us to sadly leave Somhkanda Reserve. It was an early start as we had to get to Kosi Bay in time to get a concession from the man at the reserve. On the way we stopped and had a look at the Pongolapoort (Jozini) Dam, wow what a site, so large scale and magnificently made.

Kosi Bay is on the border of Mozambique and South Africa, it is such a beautiful place; lovely golden sand with an estuary before looking out to sea. We can now all say that we have swam in the Indian Ocean and snorkelled in the estuary at Kosi Bay! There are also a huge amount of fish nets at Kosi Bay made out of reeds by the local community, which have been there for about 1000 years.

After soaking up the sun and swimming until our hands and feet were wrinkly, we made our way to the campsite we are staying at for the next two nights Bhekula Nature Reserve, we all had well deserved showers and sat closely by the fire to warm up and have drinks and dinner.

DAY FOUR:

Today was a very eye opening experience, we went to Mthwazi Combined School to judge the Rhino Art Competition, watch the students perform a Zulu dance and be entertained by a very talented band singing songs in Zulu. The Rhino Art competition involves all the students in the school receiving a piece of paper with a rhino outline on it which they can colour in and draw whatever they like to illustrate the problem with the rhino. They also need to write a message to explain their knowledge of the issue. This project aims to reduce the number of rhino being poached by teaching the students that rhino poaching is a huge problem and that they need to help to stop this issue. This has so far been a successful project. All the kids at this school were very knowledgeable and supportive of helping to do what they can to save the rhino.

This was a great experience, we chose the best art from each grade each receiving a certificate and the person who won it overall won a bike donated by Rotary South Africa. He was one happy boy! A bike is an unusual thing for these kids, but it is a great thing as these kids have to walk to school. Some times for miles.

We then were able to mingle with the students; they were all very lovely people, especially the young students, very cute wee souls. They love looking at photos, they have no concept of personal space they climb all over you trying to all look at the photos at once.

Afterwards we returned to camp and had a relaxing afternoon spent in the sun and enjoying a few alcoholic beverages.

DAY THREE:

The first night within the Somhkanda Reserve was an interesting experience. I was a newbie camper and drank too much and desperately needed to get up in the night. Being an open campsite with no fence line, it became a bit of an issue when I needed to get up, didn’t want to run into a rhino or leopard on the way to the bathroom. Ingrid kindly came with me though, being my first experience my heart started pumping as we scanned the area with our head torches. We did it though! Not many people could say they went to the bathroom in the middle of a reserve with rhino, giraffes, leopards and zebras roaming around can they? And open air toilets and showers looking out into the bush, what an experience!

So that morning we got up at 5:30am and got the fire started and had a rusk with a cup of coffee then went straight out for another drive on the game reserve. We arrived at what they call the air strip (as they used to land planes on it, now it's just used for helicopters) and saw the most magnificent site, a journey of giraffe. We stopped and took advantage of the brilliant photo opportunities. With the sun rising in the background and with giraffe in the foreground, it was perfect.

After that we saw many animals on the way but our main aim was to track the rhino so we can see our adopted rhino Tane. We had with us the most experienced rhino trackers. So we're driving along the track and Voosa calls out and says stop, the rhino are down there! None of us would have ever spotted them without Voosa. The rhino were situated well into the distance behind a lot of shrubbery. We got out of the 4x4 and moved closer to the rhino very quietly through the long grass, and then they became visible enough to take a photo from a distance, what a fantastic animal, so prehistoric. We could see their ears moving listening (they can rotate their ears all the way around and each air in different directions, they have great hearing) but they can’t see well so they didn’t know where we were.

Then we returned to the camp to have brunch, delicious bacon and scrambled eggs before having a food comer and relaxing in the sun.

Peter then joined us after the wedding he was attending, for another drive on the game reserve. This time to do a rhino walk; this involves walking into the bush to track down the rhino. We got a signal of where they roughly were, and then we had to walk in with Zama (a very experience rhino tracker) to find them. What an exhilarating experience, my heart was pounding! We walked along the rhino track, it was very nerve racking wondering if other animals were going to approach us on the way. But we were fine, just a wildebeest growling at the top of the hill above us, which freaked me out a bit thinking it was the rhino in front of us! I also caught my hair in a tree along the way when we were supposed to be quiet and moving quickly, ouch. Zama and Ingrid kindly helped me get it out. Then a few steps further the experience was breathtaking, we could see Tane 10 metres in front of us, without him knowing we were there. It was amazing! I felt very high on life after that.

To end a most magnificent day we drive up on top of a hill to have a sundowner. The sun set was beautiful, a bright red sun which we saw for 10 minutes before it went down behind the hill. What an awesome day!

DAY TWO:

The next day we got up at dawn and went to check out the sea. Amazing orangey yellow sand with large waves crashing on the shore. Great surfing beach and also obviously a prime fishing spot as there were many fisherman standing on the rocks with their lines out. Salt Rock is a very popular holiday town. The number of people increases hugely over holiday periods. I can see why, the place is beautiful.

Then we head off on our 4 hour road trip to Somkhanda Reserve. A very pleasant journey, we drove past rows and rows of sugar cane plants and eucalyptus trees which they use to make paper. There were also these yellow coloured trees which they call the fever tree, as they used to think that the trees were causing fever symptoms. But rather than it being the trees, it was the people contracting maleria from the mosquitoes, as these trees grow in really swampy areas, where there are a lot mosquitoes.

Another thing we found very unique was the African people walking along the main highway. We couldn't work out where they could be walking to, they must walk for miles. No wonder the majority of them look very fit. Also the taxis are funny to see, they pack about 16 people into one van.

Then we made it to where we have been all waiting for, The Somkhanda Reserve. We unload our bags from the vehicle and put them into our allocated tents. I was lucky enough to be bunking with Ingrid. I'm not sure I would sleep too much if I was in a tent by myself, especially having to walk to toilet in the middle of the night by myself. You just have to think positively and say to yourself, there will be no animals on my way :).

SECOND HALF OF DAY ONE:

So after a huge day we arrived in Durban last night. And what a surprise Ingrid's bag didn't turn up on the luggage carousel. We had to leave that issue behind and think about that tomorrow when our minds were rested. We were all zombies.

We met Stew and Chloe (Peter's South African friends) at the domestic terminal and they drove us to a lovely seaside town called Salt Rock. We we're welcomed by Dave and Sandy, also friends of Peter. They had a lovely holiday home which they let us stay in and recover from the flight. The best night sleep I have had in a while. I was out to it as soon as I hit the pillow.

DAY ONE:

As you may remember last year when we launched Imake a Difference we sold Supporter Packs to raise money for our charity. When purchasing a Supporter Pack, buyers went in the draw to win a trip for two to South Africa.

And guess what, today is day one of this trip!

The lucky winner of the trip for two was Alister Van Mil, the owner of Home Brew West, one of Imake's New Zealand retailers. His sister Andrea was chosen as his travelling companion, isn't he a lovely older brother?!

As well as this, we also provided Imake staff the opportunity to venture off to South Africa. Any employee who helped with the charity in their spare time received an entry into the draw. We had a number of entries, it was great to see the staff getting stuck in and sharing the same passion towards the cause as our Managing Director Peter Eastood. The lucky winners of this draw were Ingrid Allsop, our Design Manager, and myself. I was ecstatic when I found out I was one of lucky people to go! What an opportunity! I knew I couldn't miss this… An opportunity to see first hand the projects Imake a Difference is supporting and see game up close and personal, s**t yeah!!!

As I sit on the plane now from Sydney to Johannesburg, I wait patiently for the excitement to start. Very patiently indeed as it is a 14 hour flight and all, finding it hard to sleep as I can't wait for this trip of a life time to start.

Will be in touch again once we get to Durban. Keep an eye out for more details of our 12 day adventure.

make staff, friends, donors and supporters of Imake a Difference have just returned from an expedition run by D Tours and supporting Imake a Difference through Southern Africa to see the wonderful wildlife they're helping to save.

The adventure started on the 6th June 2014 in Windhoek and travelled through Nambia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. Rally-ers spent months fundraising a minimum of $2,500 USD each for the trust, to be eligible to go, and then personally paid to enter a vehicle and themselves into the rally. In total this fundraising expedition raised over NZD140,000 toward the Imake a Difference trust.

The rally was dreamt by by Peter, dubbed Master Visionary and Expedition Leader, as a way to not only fundraise, but to give the people who are helping a firsthand experience like no other. With nearly 30 trips to Africa under his belt, Peter knows a thing or two about the continent, its people and the wildlife. With his ever-increasing need to do something drastic regarding the future of the rhino, Peter has a unique and caring way of instilling passion and zeal into all kinds of hearts, including Matt Blackwood who says:

“I fell in love with the African wildlife during my first trip there 18 months ago, D Tours will be my third trip back since and I’m more excited than ever. After seeing what amazing and beautiful creatures rhino are in their natural habitat, … I feel honoured to be part of such a great cause and hope our efforts can help put a stop to the unnecessary slaughter of these great animals.” – Matt Blackwood, Purchasing Manager, Imake Ltd

Check out our blog and pics on the www.dtours.org.za site for information on this fundraising trip.

Imake a Difference donated R250,000 in December for ZAP-Wing pilot Etienne Gerber. He plays a vital role in all rhino security in Zululand and knowing that his contract is secure for the next year is much appreciated by the team over there.

As 2014 starts, there’s no let-up in the threats posed by poaching syndicates; but the intensifying efforts of all Project Rhino KZN members last year were encouraging. Efforts resulted in 63 arrests of known poachers and syndicate members and restricted the rate of poaching. Compared to other areas of South Africa, KZN fared better but there is no room for complacency, so the hard work will continue. ZAP-Wing is a key part of the growing rhino security operations and the support of Imake a Difference and everyone involved definitely helps, instead of waiting for the poachers to strike moves can be made. Poaching syndicates adapt constantly so they have to continually review what to do and find better, improved ways of countering the threats. KZN assessed their progress over the past two years and have identified five priorities that will guide work in 2014-2015 which our efforts will support:

1. Security

Zap - Wing - aerial surveillance support for 26 game reserves under constant threat in northern KZNRhino security operations & establishment of a joint Ops CentreSpecialised training for rangers and anti-poaching teamsEquipment for anti-poaching teamsInformant fundingEstablish security/communication networks amongst game reserves in Zululand & the Midlands

2. Education & Awareness

Rhino Art Campaign with celebrity African explorer Kingsley HolgateInternational Youth Rhino Summit (World Rhino Day)Youth Leadership Wilderness programmeSustainable food gardens & income generation in poor rural communities linked to poachingCommunity Rhino AmbassadorsVietnam awareness campaign with Freeland & ENV

3. Legal/Judiciary

Improve conviction ratesLobbying for harsher sentencesLobby for improved legislation around wildlife crime

4. Lobbying & Strategic Relationships - At local, national, SADC and international levels to continually increase political and socio-economic support against rhino poaching and all wildlife crime

5. Fundraising & Marketing/PR - generate sufficient funds to match increasing needs and maintain/increase support of donors, the public and external stakeholders for the Priorities above.

Recent studies have shown that the demand for rhino horn is increasing and so is the number of criminal syndicates operating in South Africa. The illegal trade in rhino horn, along with ivory, is also funding terrorist activities, making it a threat not only to our wildlife but people too. We also realise that there is increasing pressure on our reserves by the communities living in poverty next to them.

As a result, to respond effectively to the current rhino poaching crisis requires the involvement of all citizens and all stakeholders in South Africa’s social, economic and political sectors, as well as the international community. We acknowledge and deeply appreciate the concern of all who rally behind these efforts.

KZN want to pass on their grateful thanks to everyone who helped raised these funds.

This newsletter covers most of the activities we are involved in across Zululand. We are amazed to see how much we have been able to support this cause in only a year.

The picture of the dog on page 3 is of Chloe. She is the dog we bought and trained and then donated to the anti-poaching unit. We have also purchased anti-poaching equipment, started contributing to the rhino art competitions in schools and the Zap Wing project.

The students at Mt Pleasant School wanted to help the rhino in some way, so we thought fundraising for Thabo and Ntombi, two juvenile rhino at the Thula Thula Reserve would appeal to the students. The students have raised over $900 NZD doing raffles, cakes stalls and general fundraising. This is about R7,700 and Imake a Difference will top this up to R10,000 to support these rhino.

The wife of Anthony Lawrence the author of the famous book "The Elephant Whisperer" runs a reserve called Thula Thula (meaning piece and tranquility). She is currently in the process of building a rhino orphanage to home the increasing number of rhino orphaned by the poaching. Orphaned rhino, when they are mature, can be returned to the wild so providing a safe haven and support helps the rhino population in the future and helps the poor rhino through a traumatic time. http://www.thulathula.com

Thank you to those students at Mt Pleasant School for your support in helping save the rhino.

Students from Kristin School have put together some videos to create awareness about and fight against the horrible acts involved in poaching rhino for their horn.

Be aware these videos have graphic images.