Seasons by city

The year in Gqeberha

Gqeberha, on Algoa Bay, is a windy coastal city where the dense, thorny Albany thicket meets fynbos and the sea.

Biome Albany thicket
Rain Rain all year
Altitude about 10 m
Rainfall about 600 mm a year
Province Eastern Cape

Where the year begins

Rain falls in every season, with a little more in spring and autumn, and the wind blows often. The sea keeps both summer and winter mild.

Albany thicket is dense, thorny, evergreen bush of succulents and small trees, such as spekboom and euphorbias, in the river valleys of the Eastern Cape.

What rain all year means here

Rain falls in every season, with no long dry spell, so the land stays green for much of the year.

Any season can bring rain, so keep a rain plan for every outdoor lesson, and use the steady rain for a year-long rain gauge.

The turning points of 2027

Dates are in South African time. Sunrise, sunset and daylight are worked out for Gqeberha's rounded location.

Solstices and equinoxes in 2027, with sunrise, sunset and daylight in Gqeberha
Turning point	Sunrise	Sunset	Daylight
Autumn equinoxSaturday 20 March 2027	06:20	18:29	12 h 9 min
Midwinter, the shortest dayMonday 21 June 2027	07:22	17:16	9 h 53 min
Spring equinoxThursday 23 September 2027	06:06	18:14	12 h 8 min
Midsummer, the longest dayWednesday 22 December 2027	05:03	19:28	14 h 25 min

Summer: December, January, February

Warm and breezy. Low tide in the early morning is the time for the tidal pools; an adult stays within arm's reach of every child near the water.

First signs to watch for

Num-num fruit ripe
Longest day
Pig's ear flowering
Dung beetles on the road
Kudu seen browsing
Boer-bean pods ripe

Pig's ear (Cotyledon orbiculata) holding up orange, bell-shaped flowers

In the evening sky

On 22 December 2027, midsummer, the longest day, at about 20:43: the moon is waning crescent, 25 percent lit, not yet up, and the Southern Cross is low in the south. Planets: Saturn, high in the north-west; Venus, low in the west. For early risers: Jupiter before dawn in the north-east.

Also up: The Small Magellanic Cloud, high in the south; The Large Magellanic Cloud, high in the south; Grus, the Crane, halfway up in the south-west.

On the nature table

Dusty olive-green cotton with a strip of yellow-brown for a sandy road, with a small potted spekboom (it grows easily from a cutting); small round stones and a little sand in a shallow dish; a feather found on a walk; fallen boer-bean pods.

Safety this season

On midsummer's day the sun is highest at 12:16, 79 degrees above the horizon, so a child's shadow almost disappears at noon; keep the hours around it for shade, hats, sunscreen and water.
Snakes are about in the warm months: stay on paths, look where you step, and leave any snake alone.
Ticks are in the long grass now: check arms, legs and hair afterwards.

Festivals

Midsummer Festival on Wednesday 22 December 2027; Christmas on Saturday 25 December 2027 (Christian).

Three things to do outside

Washing the Stoep

Water, 40 minutes

On a hot day, scrubbing the stoep together with buckets, brushes and a little soap, splashing as you go and leaving everything clean and cool.

Water: an adult stays within arm's reach of every child near water, the whole time.
A small child can topple head first into a bucket. Keep only a little water in each, stay within arm's reach, and tip the buckets out as soon as you finish.

Bees on the Flowers

Nature walk, 30 minutes

Watching bees from a respectful distance as they visit flowers in the garden or veld.

Know whether anyone in the family is allergic to bee stings before you go, and carry what they need.

Stones and Hollows

Game, 40 minutes

In the shade on a hot afternoon, two players scoop two rows of hollows in the sand and pass small stones around them in turn, counting and planning ahead. A simple family version of a sowing game.

If thunder starts, move onto the stoep or indoors, never under a lone tree.

Autumn: March, April, May

Calm days come more often, and the thicket's spekboom, with its round, fleshy leaves, is easy to find and to talk about on a walk.

First signs to watch for

Autumn rain
Plumbago in flower
White paintbrush lily
Swallows gone
Aloe buds rising
Crassulas flowering

Mushrooms in shady spots after rain (look, but never pick or taste)

In the evening sky

On 20 March 2027, autumn equinox, at about 19:44: the moon is waxing gibbous, 96 percent lit, halfway up in the north-east, and the Southern Cross is halfway up in the south-east. Planets: Jupiter, halfway up in the north-east; Mars, halfway up in the north-east. For early risers: Mercury before dawn in the east; Venus before dawn in the east.

Also up: Canis Major and Sirius, almost overhead in the north-west; Carina and Canopus, high in the south; The Large Magellanic Cloud, high in the south.

On the nature table

Soft grey-green cotton with a scrap of sky-blue felt for the plumbago, with dried seed heads from a garden plumbago; fallen leaves and twigs from your own garden or a road verge; a smooth stone; a small potted spekboom or crassula.

Safety this season

At the autumn equinox the midday sun, at 12:25, still stands 56 degrees high and burns quickly, so hats stay on and the late afternoon becomes the pleasant time to be out.
Snakes are about in the warm months: stay on paths, look where you step, and leave any snake alone.
Ticks are in the long grass now: check arms, legs and hair afterwards.

Festivals

Autumn Harvest Festival on Saturday 20 March 2027; Easter on Sunday 28 March 2027 (Christian); Freedom Day Family Stories on Tuesday 27 April 2027.

Three things to do outside

Autumn Seed Walk

Nature walk, 45 minutes

A slow autumn walk to gather the seeds, pods and winged fruits that plants are letting go of, then sorting them at home for the nature table.

Some seeds and berries are poisonous, such as syringa berries and castor oil seeds. Your child gathers but never puts seeds in the mouth, and everyone washes hands afterwards.

Sweeping the Yard

Practical life, 30 minutes

In the cool of an autumn or winter morning your child sweeps fallen leaves with a small grass broom, carries them to the compost heap and looks at the patterns the broom leaves in the earth.

Sweep in shoes. Devil thorns and other small thorny burrs hide in dry leaves and bare earth, especially in the dry months.

Finding the Southern Cross

Sky watching, 30 minutes

On a clear autumn evening, finding the two bright Pointers and following them to the Southern Cross, then using the Cross to find south.

Go out soon after dark so that younger children are in bed at their usual time. By April and May the Cross is already well up in the south east early in the evening.

Winter: June, July, August

Bitter aloes flower orange and red on the hillsides from about May to July, and whales pass along the coast and into the bay.

First signs to watch for

Aloes flowering
Pollen-dusted sunbirds
Coldest morning
Oranges ripe
First spring shower
Boubous duetting

Aloes still flowering across the hills

In the evening sky

On 21 June 2027, midwinter, the shortest day, at about 19:00: the moon is waning gibbous, 94 percent lit, not yet up, and the Southern Cross is high in the south. Planets: Mars, halfway up in the north-west; Jupiter, halfway up in the north-west. For early risers: Saturn before dawn in the north-east.

Also up: Centaurus and the Pointers, almost overhead in the south; Carina and Canopus, halfway up in the south-west; Scorpius, halfway up in the east.

On the nature table

Warm grey cotton, with orange and red ribbons standing up at the back for the aloe candles, with a small potted aloe or crassula; a dry aloe flower stalk that has fallen from a garden plant; stones and fallen bark for a hillside; feathers found on a walk.

Safety this season

On the shortest day the sun reaches only 33 degrees, at 12:19, and midday shadows are long, but it still burns; cold mornings mean water play waits for a warmer day.

Festivals

Midwinter Lantern Evening on Monday 21 June 2027; Women's Day on Monday 9 August 2027.

Three things to do outside

Naming the Sunset Colours

Sky watching, 30 minutes

On a clear winter evening, sitting together to watch the sun go down and naming each colour in the sky as it changes, then painting them the next morning.

Look at the sky around the sun, never straight at the sun itself, even when it is low and red. If it dazzles, look away.

A Stick and Grass Hut

Building, 120 minutes

Over two or three autumn afternoons your child builds a small hut from long sticks and bundles of dry grass, layering the grass from the bottom up so that it sheds the rain.

Snakes rest in long grass, even as the weather cools. The adult cuts the grass, wearing boots and long trousers, and makes plenty of noise while working. Check everyone for ticks when you finish.

Seedlings on the Windowsill

Garden, 30 minutes

In late winter, sowing tomato, sweet pepper and basil seeds in an egg box on a sunny windowsill and caring for them each morning until they are ready to plant out in spring.

Some bought seeds are coated and are not for eating. Put the packets away after sowing and wash hands afterwards.

Spring: September, October, November

A little more rain falls, and the thicket and the fynbos flower. Many birds nest now, so walk quietly past the bushes.

First signs to watch for

Orange blossom
Swallows back
Boer-bean flowering
Weavers building
Spekboom in flower
First summer storm

Weavers building nests over the rivers

In the evening sky

On 23 September 2027, spring equinox, at about 19:29: the moon is last quarter, 47 percent lit, not yet up, and the Southern Cross is halfway up in the south-west. Planets: Mars, halfway up in the west. For early risers: Saturn before dawn in the north-west.

Also up: Sagittarius and the Teapot, almost overhead in the north-west; Pavo, the Peacock, high in the south; Scorpius, high in the west.

On the nature table

Fresh green cotton with a crimson ribbon for the boer-bean flowers and small white felt stars for the num-num, with fallen orange blossom petals from a garden tree; a potted spekboom with new leaves; fallen twigs and leaves; a small stone.

Safety this season

By the spring equinox the midday sun is back up at 56 degrees, at 12:10, and UV climbs quickly towards October, so bring the hats out before the heat arrives.
Bees are busy with the spring flowers: walk calmly past hives and flowering trees.

Festivals

Spring Festival of Blossoms on Thursday 23 September 2027; Heritage Day on Friday 24 September 2027; Diwali on Monday 1 November 2027 (Hindu), a date that moves; check locally.

Three things to do outside

A Hopping Game in the Dust

Game, 30 minutes

Your child scratches a ladder of numbered squares into bare earth with a stick, tosses a flat stone and hops up and back, counting aloud. Nothing is needed but a stick, a stone and a patch of ground.

Sweep the patch clear of thorns, devil thorn burrs and sharp stones before you draw, and play in shoes in the dry months.

A Friendly Scarecrow

Practical life, 75 minutes

At spring planting time your child builds a scarecrow from two poles, old clothes and dry grass, gives it a kind face and a name, and plants it in the vegetable bed to keep the birds off the seedlings.

If you cut long grass for stuffing in spring or summer, wear boots, make plenty of noise as you go and let the adult do the cutting, because snakes rest in long grass.

Dawn Bird Calls

Nature walk, 40 minutes

Getting up just before sunrise to walk quietly and listen to the birds waking, learning one or two calls by ear and ending with a warm drink as the sun comes up.

Walk on pavements and garden paths you know well, as the light is low. Hold small hands near any road or driveway.

Places to walk

Settlers Park

A wooded river valley in the middle of the city, with trails along the Baakens River.

Sardinia Bay

Dunes, rocky shore and tidal pools south of the city, part of a marine protected area.

The Island Nature Reserve

Coastal forest on the city's western edge, with a walking trail under the trees.

Where these facts come from

Biome, rainfall regime, solstices, equinoxes, sunrise, sunset, the midday sun and the evening sky are computed by Selemo's season engine for Gqeberha at 33.95 degrees south, 25.60 degrees east, rounded to about 5 km, using Meeus's astronomical algorithms and the NOAA solar equations.
Biome names follow the national vegetation map of South Africa (Mucina and Rutherford); first signs, the nature table and festivals come from Selemo's seasons library, version 1; activities come from Selemo's activity library, chosen by the Outdoor Matcher for a typical clear morning in each season after the safety rules; altitude and rainfall are rounded long-term figures, being checked against South African Weather Service climate data.

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