mystery weekends away

A Weekend To Die For

A relaxing get-away with a murder dinner, ghost tour, illusion show & more

"Mark Rose-Christie is an entertainer per excellence" - Herald

MOUNTAIN PARK HOTEL

Old world charm. Set in the village of Bulwer at the foot of the Amahaqua Mountain (Great Frowning One) in the Drakensberg Mountain Range, where Bushman and antelope once roamed. Bulwer is also one of the country's most haunted destinations.

7 hours from Johannesburg / 2 hours from Durban

Guided Walks to Waterfalls, Caverns, Natural Forests & Bushman Paintings - Bird Aviary - Fossil Tours - Swimming Pool - Jacuzzi - Sauna - Horse Riding - Tennis Court - Bowling Green - Croquet Lawn - Table Tennis - Indoor Squash & Basketball - Abseiling - Hang-gliding - Para-gliding - Local Pubs & Restaurants - Visit the nearby villages of Himeville and Underberg. Take the Orchid Trail through the Yellowwood Forest. Take a day drive to the 'Midlands Meander' Arts & Crafts route (Route 103) - Other Scenic Drives.

For Conference, Seminar, Training, Team-Builidng Groups: If you are wanting to combine such a group with the Weekend Entertainment, the hotel has 3 Conference Centres (seating 20, 40 & 60 persons). Conference & Accommodation rates are far less than the Weekends Away rate, and we have a reputable Coach company should any coaches be required. You can also arrange other activities (mentioned above) with the local vendors by calling the local tourism office for contact details.

MAGALIESBURG COUNTRY HOTEL

Mining town charm. Set in the village of Magaliesburg in the Magaliesberg Mountain Range, rich with minerals and crystals. Where Chief Mohale and elephants once reigned. Magaliesburg is also one of the country's most haunted destinations.

1 hour from Johannesburg / 7 hours from Durban

Guided Tours to the Historic Blaauwbank Gold Mine - Outdoor Stone Labyrinth - Elephant Sanctuary - Magalies River - Paul Kruger's Sulphur Bath - Lovers' Rock and Natural Pool - Ostrich Show Ranch & Bushman Village - Swimming Pool - Golf - Fly Fishing - Horse Riding - Microlighting - Hot Air Ballooning - Gliding - Original Blaauwbank Street with Store, Antiques & Pub - Crystal Shop - Local Pubs & Restaurants - Arts & Crafts on the 'Magalies Meander' - Other Scenic Drives.

For Conference, Seminar, Training, Team-Builidng Groups: If you are wanting to combine such a group with the Weekend Entertainment, the hotel has 1 Conference Centre (seating 70 persons). Conference & Accommodation rates are far less than the Weekends Away rate, and we have a reputable Coach company should any coaches be required. You can also arrange other activities (mentioned above) with the local vendors by calling the local tourism office for contact details.

Includes 2 Nights : Murder Game, Illusion Show & Ghost Tour : Fri Dinner - Sat Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner - Sun Breakfast

Additional Night at Special Rate / Sunday : Includes Sun Lunch & Dinner - Mon Breakfast

Hosted by "South Africa's foremost Magician & Illusionist" (Front Row, M-Net, Star, Argus ...), paranormal investigator and "entertainer per excellence", Mark Rose-Christie, creates a dreamy & memorable weekend, with a careful blend of plenty of mystery entertainment and relaxation, amidst the beauty of the mountains and tranquil streams.

With many activities & amenities to choose from, you can use the daytime to do it all or you can put your feet up - as you please.

But then comes the night, with the thrill of a Murder Dinner to die for, hosted by the great grandson of Agatha Christie (or is he an impostor up to some fiendish tricks). Relish yet another sumptuous Dinner followed by a baffling display of magic & illusion. Then, before midnight comes the chill as we whisk you away into the darkness of the still outside, to experience several well-documented haunted places, poltergeists, harrowing murders and the unexplained. Top the weekend off with a sumptuous breakfast and enjoy the Meander Arts & Crafts on your way home - unless of course for a nominal rate you want to spend Sunday night at the hotel.

A weekend of total relaxation, experiencing the truly mysterious, and adventurous activities galore - in a country hotel of your choice - with sumptuous meals and high spirits.

Somewhat different to the usual murder evenings, Mark Rose-Christie is an English sleuth, having acquired his skills from his so-called great aunt, the late murder writer, Agatha Christie (seen in the photo on the left). However the police do not arrive and he needs the help of the guests to solve a murder most foul. Based on actual historical events and characters of the area and time period, you dress up in costumes of the period viz: colonial country attire in Bulwer - or - 1870's mining town country attire in Magaliesberg. You then play the roles of the guests of the host - an historically accurate local figure of note viz: Mr Mc Nigal, who actually built Mountain Park Hotel as a Canadian Hunting Lodge for his overseas colleagues & guests in Bulwer - or - Henry Hartley, the gold discoverer and legendary elephant hunter of the Magaliesberg mountains. Six of the host's closest friends are dressed up to the nines in other attire, and play the role of the suspicious suspects - each having a motive to have done the dastardly deed.

You do not have to learn anything, but you are given a question inventory so that you can ask questions. You begin the evening by gathering in the bar for a few drinks. Then you proceed to the dining room. After starters, it is question time, where a few clues are also discovered. After the main course, more questions are asked, some more clues appear, but so do some red herrings. Then after dessert, everyone is allowed to ask open-ended questions of their own choice, in an attempt to solve the murder.

You will find that several people take their roles quite seriously and/or arrive in amusing costumes. Some take on foreign accents, others perform quite dramatically or particularly comically. Some choose to observe more than ask questions, in an attempt to solve the crime. Amidst a great dinner, lot's of comedy and puzzling detective work involving several twists & turns, in the end everyone has a chance to suggest who the murderer might be. The winners are then given a special prize to consume. An evening of great fun all round.

The photo on the right shows some of our murder dinner guests. In the foreground are the first guests to play the characters of the six suspects involved in Mountain Park Hotel's harrowing murder dinner evening. The character roles from left to right are: Andre Kruger (a boer from a long line of Kruger descendents), Missy Flanagan (a mistress with a dark secret), Prof. Hans Gerbhard (a German archeologist), Lady Anne MacIntyre (an over-the-top imposter who dons herself like "mutton dressed up as lamb"), Capt. Abel Seaman (in typical colonial gear and pith helmet), Sarah le Roux (a French Accountant).

One of them has murdered their best friend & colleague, the historically accurate figure, Roger McNigal Esquire, who had invited them to the opening of his Canadian Hunting Lodge called Mountain Park in the 1940's.

Well-known for The Mystery Ghost Bus Tour that he runs in South Africa, Mark Rose-Christie, a serious paranormal researcher of long-standing, presents a haunted walk in and around the village, where in his own words he states that "Bulwer and Magaliesburg, along with Matjiesfontein, are South Africa's most haunted villages". Rose-Christie has researched many areas of South Africa and has a knack for investigating paranormal cases.

The tour starts off with a brief history of ghosts through the ages, and a scientific explanation of the paranormal that turns even the most hardened sceptic into a believer.

Then its off into the village, dark corners, haunted houses, eerie stretches of country road, to become acquainted with well-documented ghost & poltergeist phenomena, a harrowing murder and other mysteries of the paranormal. Then to prove that the paranormal does indeed exist, you get to use dowsing rods, which proves the existence of force fields and unseen energies.

With one or two clever scares along the way, and pub stops to calm your n-e-r-ves and get you into the spirit so to speak, this 2 hour journey into the realm of the unexplained, winds up in a cemetery. By this time you will get that tingling shiver right down your spine, that tells you that the paranormal is real. But it is too late to turn back.

On the left is the famous Yellowwood Church (the only one in the world), near Mountain Park Hotel - where you end up in the Church's local cemetery in the dead of night.

The ghost tour is performed on the first clear night. If both nights are rained out, the tour is based in the haunted section of the hotel, followed by ghost stories by candlelight. The scientific & historical introduction is still presented, as are the village's ghost stories and the scares. Here Mark Rose-Christie also performs some paranormal phenomena by bending your keys and reading your minds. The haunted venues can then be seen at any time during the weekend, as soon as the weather clears, or if it doesn't, then from your cars (or coach).

Having been hailed as "South Africa's foremost magician and illusionist ... and ... the David Copperfield of South Africa" - Star, Argus, Die Burger ... Mark Rose-Christie performs a sophisticated show, involving clever sleight-of-hand and cabaret style illusions that are performed up-close. To see his grand illusions, you will have to catch one of his national touring illusion spectaculars which play at the major theatres.

The photo on the right is of one of our surprised guests, where Mark bent her key by using mind power (properly known as PK or 'Psycho-Kinesis').

With clever up-market wit, baffling effects and lot's of audience participation, this show is presented after dinner, on the same evening that the ghost tour takes place (the ghost tour takes place later, when the darkness encroaches). The show is performed indoors.

Above is a series of photographs from one of Mark's national touring illusion spectaculars. On the left Mark is seeing playing a grand piano. He and the grand piano are then encased in a steel & canvas crate, where the audience can see underneath the crate, over the top, to the back and both sides - at all times. Mark and the piano are then hoisted into the air in the enclosed crate, upon which the canvas sides are ripped off (canvas is seen hanging from the empty crate in the centre photograph). Mark instantly appears in the audience, where he is seen rushing back to the stage in the photograph on the right - backlit with some 480 lights, where "even Michael Jackson could take a tip or two from the rock-concert lighting" - Die Burger.

For a small fee, a tourguide will show you around the historic Blaauwbank Gold Mine in Magaliesburg. You simply walk into the mine (2nd photo from the right) rather descending underground. After the tour you can pan for gold. In the photo second from the left, seated on the open truck that takes you up to the gold mine, are Magaliesburg Country Hotel's co-owner George Rossouw (back), and well-known 'bard' of the town, Journalist, Author & Historian, Robin Walton (right), with whom you can arrange special historic and other tours. Robin is a colourful person, where his inimitable Dr Livingstone style stories range from the Stone Age to the days of Chief Mohale, and from the original Jennings family to fortune & elephant hunter, Henry Hartley ... and more. Robin will also take you to Paul Kruger's famous hot spring bath and other legendary sites. You will be informed about Robin Walton's tours upon arrival. The other co-owner of the hotel, Rina Rossouw, will ensure that you enjoy the most sumptuous meals during your stay.

If you choose the Magaliesburg Country Hotel as your destination, you can drive around the Magalies Meander, which is famous for its Arts & Crafts, Restaurants, the Old Mill (which is haunted - see the photo on the right), visit Goblin's Cove, Lover's Rock resort (where the natural pool is haunted due to several suicides & drownings taking place there), or even take a drive to the nearby Sterkfontein Caves - where this area has become world famous as the Cradle of Humankind ... and more

If you choose Mountain Park Hotel in Bulwer as your destination, you can take a day drive to the Midlands Meander (Route 103), which is famous for its Arts & Crafts, Restaurants, the old Nottingham Road Hotel (which is haunted), Granny Mouse's Country House, the Howick Falls, and more. Well-known Ghost Author, Sian Hall, and Anthropologist, Franz Prins, will take you to visit a Sangoma, anthropological or haunted sites like Fort Nottingham village. In Rosetta village's Church Cemetery you will find the famous Ufologist, Elizabeth Klarer's sister's grave. Above right is a photo of Flying Saucer Hill in Rosetta, where Arkon used to land his UFO when visiting Mrs Klarer. In the photo is Cristo Louw of the South African UFO Research group, who accompanied Mark Rose-Christie to the spot thought to be the UFO landing site. The green circle in the photo shows an area where the local vegetation will not grow much - possibly due to the UFO having scorched the soil. You will be informed about Sian Hall's & Franz Prins's tours upon arrival.

At Mountain Park Hotel in Bulwer, you can either be adventurous and follow the designated forest, cavern, waterfall & other trails yourself (photo on left), or a tourguide will take you on an escorted walk. One of the guided tours are to the Bushman rock shelter (photo in the middle, with Mark Rose-Christie in the backgound, and three of the hotel's tourguides). The walk to this famous cavern offers spectacular views, where this particular rock shelter boasts some of the most pristine rock art in the area (photo on the right). One of the many walks in the area is the Orchid Trail, set in the tranquil Yellowwood Forest - where you might be lucky enough to spot the rare Cape Parrot.

Chris Berry (centre), owner of the Crystal Feeling shop in Magaliesburg, holds two crystal skulls in his hand. In the photo on the left is a beautiful quartz crystal. The Magaliesberg mountain range is arguably the oldest in the world, where the area is rich in minerals & crystals. The area is also known for its powerful 'ley lines' and as one of the few major power vortexes in the world - some of the others being the Pyramids at Giza, Machu Picchu and Stonehenge. Chris will point you into the direction of Magaliesburg's own Stonehenge.

Mountain Park Hotel is also home to the Mountneys Paint Horse Stud, which offers a variety of rides from beginner's level to the most experienced levels. Co-owner of the Mountain Park Hotel, Jill Ward, runs the stud and uses her well-known expertise to assist you with your horse riding adventures. In the nearby villages of Himeville and Underberg, you can visit shops, a museum, pubs & restaurants. The local pub in Bulwer is a great stop, where you can hear some fascinating local stories. Mountain Park Hotel's other co-owner, Mike Ward, will ensure that you enjoy the most sumptuous meals during your stay.

It does not have to be time to go home, especially if you wanted more time to relax, or maybe do and see more - in which case you can stay over on the Sunday at a specially reduced rate, including Sunday lunch & dinner, as well as a sumptuous breakfast on Monday.

The above package is presented at your own risk, where The Magic of Mark Rose-Christie cc, its members & staff do not accept liability or the like, of any nature whatsoever. No refunds. Programmes & Prices are subject to change without notice.

Website, scripts, designs, illusions & other intellectual property are copyright, and remain the sole property of The Magic of Mark Rose-Christie cc, t/a The Mystery Ghost Bus / Legend Tours of South Africa cc, and t/a Mystery Weekends Away, and t/a Epic Events cc.

Number of Persons	Mountain Park Hotel	Magaliesburg Country Hotel
Minimum of 20 - 29	R 1,789 p.p.	R 1,889 p.p.
30 - 39	R 1,679 p.p.	R 1,779 p.p.
40 - 49	R 1,569 p.p.	R 1,669 p.p.
50 - 70	R 1,459 p.p.	R 1,559 p.p.
Additional Night (Sunday)	R 229 p.p.	R 299 p.p.