As the children get older, there is a growing realisation that our holidays as a family are numbered.

A parent can't give a child anything better than happy memories. KwaZulu-Natal may not be exotic or original, but thesun and the sea make for a perfect holiday.

It is uniquely tropical, with palm trees and leafy banana plants, and vegetation so thick it is impossible to walk through.

The golden sands of the blue flag beaches contrast with the treacherous rocks, where many ships have met their demise.

On the morning I took photographs at Palm Beach, about 10km north of Port Edward, the sun rose at 4.50am. I left the house just after 4am to make sure I would be ready for the first light.

I wanted to get there before the sun appeared over the horizon, but when there was still enough light in the sky to take some long exposures of the sea.

I took a few photographs before it was too light, but this one seemed to capture the pounding of the surf against the rocks.