We were shrouded in the hot steam cloud of Reykjavik’s Sky Lagoon geothermal springs, and I could overhear Christo du Plessis discussing a deal to buy diesel to sort out an interrupted power supply crisis caused by the November volcanic eruption at their aquaculture facility near Grindavík.
I may have heard parts of urban Iceland described as a cross between ‘Midrand and the moon,’ but it couldn’t be further from the globally recognised, unique South African phenomenon of ‘load shedding’. By the sound of it, the lava flows from the eruption of the fissure – not a spout – had impacted the nearby geothermal facility that supplies the Matorka fish farm facility he runs.
Luckily for us – as it’s been a challenging couple of ‘eruption years’ for Matorka – it didn’t stop us from getting to stay over at what is quite likely the only South African-owned cottage in Iceland. It’s called Ptarmigan House, and it’s smack-bang within the 230 km long ‘Golden Circle’ (aka Gullni hringurinn in Icelandic), the tourist circuit in south Iceland on which most of the country’s major tourist attractions are found – location, location, location.
The Circle is a relatively modern invention. A marketing term, it refers to the route from Reykjavik to Thingvellir National Park, Geysir Hot Springs, and Gullfoss – widely regarded as Iceland’s most spectacular waterfall – which are the highlights of the route, and back to Reykjavik.
But it’s Christo’s arrival in Iceland that speaks to another adventure. This one-time Pretoria schoolboy says the aquaculture bug had bitten in the 12 years he worked at Abagold perlemoen farm (aka the abalone treasured in China and the Far East) in Hermanus, as both CFO and later CEO.
However, with a Dutch mother, he says the opportunity (via a stint in Belgium) to take the CFO position at a ‘fish farm’ in Zierikzee on the southern Dutch coastline was both a cultural and professional challenge he couldn’t pass up. As the story goes, before long, having proved himself at Kingfish, he was contacted by a “top executive recruitment firm in Norway” and asked if he wanted to apply for the CEO position at Matorka, a facility that farms Arctic char (an exquisite, less oily salmon alternative). “My sense of adventure and just the overall foreignness of it all also helped to convince me that this was the right opportunity”.
As veteran triathletes, Christo says he and his wife Anzél were thoroughly enjoying life in the Netherlands, but that the lure of adventure in Iceland was attractive. “The promise of racing in different parts of the world was a big plus and motivator to move abroad. As amateur triathletes, we have the opportunity to take part in distance running, cycling and even open-water swimming events, on top of triathlons. So, we adapt and find events that fit the weather and location.”
And that’s pretty much how this South African couple came to own a holiday cottage in Iceland’s ‘Golden Circle’. It seems the move to Iceland combined their interest in owning a property with their addiction to the outdoors and activity. He says he’d always dreamed of owning some land, and that “a cabin in the Arctic” also resonates well.
“The land requires no maintenance and is covered with volcanic rock, mosses, trees and grasses. The cabin is cosy and in a superb location, offering privacy, and comfort but within an hour of Reykjavik and spectacular landscapes.” We could say Christo has read too many brochures, but that pretty much sums up Ptarmigan House.
While Christo ‘feeds the fish’, Anzel divides her time between managing the cabin and giving online and in-person personal training and pilates both in Reykjavik and (for a week back at their home in the Netherlands) the sought-after, historical Zierikzee. In the summer that involves cleaning the cabin after each use. They say it’s been “booked solid” since they bought it.
The couple are of like mind regarding what they like most about Iceland. The open space – “after living in the Netherlands” – raw nature, changing seasons, cleanliness, safety and a sense of community.
As if he’s not living it already, Christo’s bucket-list destinations may be of interest. “Once you get a taste for the far north, places like Greenland and Finland are automatically on the list.” Adding that they’d like some sun and warm blue water somewhere once a year.
On that note, I forgot to mention that there’s something to be said for tip-toeing across the snowy Ptarmigan House deck to the hot tub on a sub-zero night, waiting for the Northern lights with a glass of bubbles in hand.
