Every second Christmas, we gathered at my Ouma’s home in Hermanus, Western Cape—just moments from the wild, icy waters of Voëlklip Beach. As Zululanders from much farther north, where the summer sun slipped away by about 5:30pm, evenings that stretched towards 8:30 felt like pure magic. Naturally, leaving the beach for dinner was never part of our plan.
My wonderfully time-keeping Ouma had other ideas. When the table was ready, she would appear on the sand in her kitchen apron, calling us out of the surf. But the tides, towering rocks, silver foam and impossible blue water had their own enchantment and time seemed, well… irrelevant.
Years later, watching my Australian-born boys delight in those same waves, I felt the spell return: a deep belonging that leaps across generations, continents, and memory.
This design began with a photograph of them bodyboarding at hightide at Voëlklip during our 2018–19 Christmas and New Year visit. It was transformed into a hand-cut collage with gold foil, of which this umbrella carries a small piece of that sunlit, sea-splashed world.
Specifications:
- Shape: Octagonal (8 panels)
- Length: M: 52cm [21″]; L: 102cm [40″]
- Open Canopy size:
- (M: 135x135cm [54″x54″] – easily fits into a standard tote/handbag, comfortably can shelter up to 2 people standing/walking in half-circle shape,
- (L: 150x150cm [60″x60″] – wow factor, lightweight, comfortably can shelter up to 3 people standing/walking in half-circle shape, perfect for special occasions/golf, great walking stick/self-defence apparatus if unsavoury characters approach
- Easy & fast opening action in case of rainmergency (just press button on handle)
- Material: Polyester
PRE-ORDERING:
🎁Next pre-order deadline: Fri, 9th Oct 2026⏰
TIMELINES (calculated from pre/order deadline, unless in current, immediate stock)
Australia: Because all umbrellas are made to order, please allow up to 14 days (after pre-order deadline) for your order to be shipped. All umbrellas are delivered by Australia Post (however, if urgent, please contact us directly to find out if your choice is currently in stock).
International: Because all umbrellas are made to order, please allow up to 3-4 weeks (after pre-order deadline) for your order to be shipped (perhaps sooner – subject to current airfreight circumstances). (However, if urgent, please contact us directly to find out if your choice is currently in stock).
POSTAGE/DELIVERY options:
- FREE pick-up at Montsalvat, Eltham (free) – use promo-code pickup at checkout!
- SHIPPING:
- Australia: $15
- International: $50
