History

During colonial times Betty's Bay was a favourite place for runaway slaves. A whaling station existed here between 1912 and 1930.
Betty's Bay was first acquired, and minimally developed, in the 1930's by three business partners, Harold Porter, Arthur Youldon and Jack Clarence. The bay was named after Youldon's daughter, Betty.
After Clarence Drive was built from Gordon's Bay following the second world war, the number of holiday cottages in Betty's Bay soon began to increase.
The large plot of land which is now Mattaponi was first purchased in the 1960's by the Adams family who built the existing timber cottage. In 1973 Kate's parents Archie and Elsie Mayne bought the land and began clearing the existing pathways for access. On the advice of the National Botanical Society at the time they also planted a number of trees and shrubs to provide wind protection for the house. Unfortunately in the 1970's less was known about the dangers of planting non indigenous species and the National Botanical Society recommended antipodean trees and shrubs which were valued for their salt wind resistance. Archie planted the Australian spider gum, flowering gum and black wattle as well as the New Zealand Christmas tree.
After Archie's death in 1982, the property was neglected for many years until, following Elsie's death in 2005, Kate and Lindsay began the ambitious task of clearing the non indigenous trees and shrubs to allow the Fynbos to flourish once again.