The primary objective of our explorations on the second day of our holiday was the Werbata triangulation point number 8 on top of the Hooiberg (Haystack). This point was the central measuring point in the land survey by the Werbata employee. Werbata did not take the measurements in Aruba himself. That is why it is interesting to see to what extent the triangulation points correspond with those in Curaçao.
From the hotel we first drove to the foot of the Hooiberg. Despite my many previous visits to Aruba, I have never climbed the Hooiberg. This 168 meter high top has now been made very easily accessible, because there is a concrete stairway from the foot to the top. In total that stairway has 561 steps, making it a good test of endurance. The journey was too much for Frances, so she stayed behind at a resting place. I also had to rest a few times to regain the energy to continue. The disadvantage of a stairway is that you go up much faster than when you have to find your way yourself, which means that fatigue sets in sooner.
When I arrived at the top, it turned out that the top is almost completely filled with radio masts and associated equipment houses. I searched all over the top to find the Werbata triangulation point or a later Kadaster triangulation point. Finally I found a block of about 30x30 cm next to one of the two houses. Although there is no copper point (anymore), this is most likely the remnant of the Werbata triangulation point. It is similar in shape and size to the triangulation point I found at the lighthouse on Seroe Colorado. It is of course also quite possible that the triangulation point was lost during the construction of the radio masts and that this is a block of cement with by chance the same dimensions.
At the foot of the Hooiberg I found a lifting rig. Nothing is indicated on the Werbata map, so it is probably from a later date than 1906.
From the Hooiberg we went to the cemetery with the Commanders graves. But first we passed another small cemetery, which is not marked as a cemetery, but as a walled space on the Werbata map. Using the GPS we could then easily find the Commanders cemetery. I have been there a long time ago and was surprised to see that the cemetery has now been renovated. It is walled (in the past you had to enter through the undergrowth) and there is a real entrance gate. Behind the cemetery appears to be a small rock formation, which is not known as a tourist attraction. There are 16 graves in the cemetery; some of them belong to former commanders of Aruba. Judging by the size of the graves, there is also at least one children's grave.
Some tankis are indicated on the Werbata map; a tanki is a dug storage place for (fresh) water. We successively visited Tanki Flip and Tanki Leendert. We knew both names as neighborhood names; now it is clear how these districts got their name.
Due to the heavy rain of recent times, both tankis contain a lot of water and are very wide; much more extensive than indicated on the Werbata map.
Foto's
The track through central Aruba
The Hooiberg (Haystack) is 168 meter high
With a stairway to the top
The stairway has 561 steps
Frances on her way to the top
A resting place along the stairway
Passing tourists take a picture of the two of us
Arrived at the top; remnants of an old transmission tower
Part of the current transmitter park
Including this telecom tower
View from the top
Down below the rock formation Casibiri
Possibly this is the Werrbata triangulation point
Form and measuraments are the same as next to the light tower
A lonely mushroom
At the foot of the Hooiberg I found a lifting rig
The pulley
A bith further there is a small cemetery
The graves are not very old
Close to the Commanders graves lies a small rock formation
The rock formation is in use as a playing ground
The entrance of the renovated Commanders cemetery
Explanation about the cemeteray
The cilinder graves
The large grave has still a name plate, S. Plats
And this looks like a childrens grave
Tanki Flip; because of the abundant rain the water is high in the tanki
Panoramic view on Tanki Flip
A no longer functional lock
The dam at the other side
Tanki Leendert, the South-Western side
The North-Eastern side of Tanki Leendert
Our car during this vacation
