Melisna & Detmar
Bride & Groom
Bride & Groom
Melisna Grobler
They say love will find you when you least expect it. Never would I have thought I’d meet the love of my life shortly after moving back to my home country.
Born in Pretoria and raised in the quirky town of Orkney-Snorknie – as kids we wandered the streets with neighboring friends, enjoyed countless weekends on the banks of the Vaal river and often explored the coastal surrounds of Isimangaliso, camping, snorkeling and playing among the dune forest. With the sky above me, the earth below me and the fire within me – life was simple – just reminiscing back to my younger self!
I never miss an opportunity to take on exciting ventures, be it a new course, career change or hobby! To Dets and I, our life motto reads: Live in the sunshine, swim in the sea, and drink the wild air. We are the kind of animal lovers that deserve an award for being the best cat mom and dad!
Detmar Ruhfus
Born in September 1981, I grew up in Ficksburg in the Free State. I spent a lot of time outdoors and this is where I found my passion for adventure at an early age, which lead me to pursue many crazy adrenaline filled moments in my life.
These include Rock Climbing, River Rafting, White Water Kayaking, Paragliding, Mountain Biking, Enduro Bikes, Scuba Diving and so much more.
To Melisna and I, the outdoors is our happy place! We both enjoy nature, traveling and trying something new and exciting as often as we can.
Our Story
Love, Travel & Overcoming Fear
It all started in the summer of 2018 on a spontaneous trip to the breathtaking archipelago of Mozambique and Isimangaliso Wetland Park. No, we didn’t hit it off right away. Actually, it was quite the contrary. Over the course of our trip, we relished African culture, explored the ocean floor, and enjoyed the company of mutual friends. The turning point actually happened when we realized how much we both admire the ocean, respect nature and desire adventure! We soon found that our friendship had developed into something more and wanted to continue traveling together. On our last day together in paradise, we visited a nearby beach and spent the entire day lounging under the sun and drinking warm Mozambican beer while monkeys moved along the trees above us.
A year later we embarked on a backpacking adventure, which involved a road trip through the Philippines, nearly three weeks of island hopping, discovering the picturesque waters and landscape of Palawan Island. Ever since, we`ve returned to magnificent Sodwana Bay (a couple of trips back and forth – five to be exact) to further traverse the untouched reefs believed to be 4000 years old! The name Sodwana is derived from two Zulu words - "siso dwana", which means "Us alone". We love the ocean. We`ve always liked the blue, so tranquil, peaceful and gliding. And the fear of it. It was here where we first learned to breathe.
Life suddenly had new happiness about it that we'd never experienced before. At this point we are three years into this incredible relationship, living in Clarens and thoroughly enjoying the small town atmosphere.
Looking back at all the escapades, we`re aware that travel makes us modest; you see what a tiny place you occupy in this world. We smile! Because back then, two souls looked at the world and saw the same thing, that life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all. In the end, we fell in love with the journey, not the destination. Our journey isn’t perfect, but it’s ours and we`ll stick together till the end.
After all, love is realizing that every hour, every minute, every second of it - was worth it because we did it together!