We carried on with a few more pauses, turning a two-hour drive into a leisurely five-hour journey, passing towns and enclaves with charmingly unwieldy Afrikaans names — Suikerbossie, Blausteen, Rooi Els — before a sign simply proclaiming “PENGUINS” prompted us to take another exit. More signs directed us through the town of Betty’s Bay, leading to one with just a silhouette of the beach-bound bird in question. Simon’s Town on the Cape Peninsula to the west is home to a much more famous colony of African penguins; while the avian residents of Betty’s Bay may not have attained the same A-list status as their cousins at Simon’s Town’s Boulders Beach , they’re still mighty cute, and the area is much less crowded. The birds aren’t shy, waddling right up to inspect visitors by the jetty. “Do not cross the yellow line,” reads a sign, but it applies only to humans; curious penguins amiably sauntered across to pose for pictures with my dad.

Just as we walked back toward the car, my friend Eric called me with bad news from Hermanus: no whales out today. “But maybe you’ll see some tonight?” he added hopefully. I was disquieted, but not prepared to give up, so onward to Hermanus we went.

Originally known as Hermanuspietersfontein but thankfully abbreviated to its current form courtesy of a pragmatic postmaster, Hermanus was founded as a fishing village in the early 19th century. These days, whales are its primary calling card for half the year, but the nearby valleys make up the increasingly popular Hemel-en-Aarde — “heaven on earth” — wine region. After a quick stop at the chic Betty Blue Bistro for lunch, we made our way to the then-newly opened One Marine Drive. I had chosen the cheerful five-room boutique hotel for its location: Water views meant we could keep a watchful eye for whales from the living room, and the front door is just steps from the beginning of the path that takes you along the cliffs. We dropped our bags and immediately set out down the meandering route densely enveloped by fragrant fynbos; just breathing deeply seemed to have curative properties. Along the way we saw striking contemporary sculptures by Guy du Toit and Lionel Smit that had been erected as part of Hermanus’s FynArts Festival, but nary a whale.