Cape of Good Hope, Haowangjiao 好望角 in Houlong, Taiwan
The Cape of Good Hope, Haowangjiao 好望角, Houlong, Taiwan.
How to get there?
From Holuong Train Station, go to Yuanli Bus Station and look for bus number 5808. Then get off at the 16th bus stop (Fulong Temple Kou) and transfer to bus number 5815. Get off at the 9th stop (Wengcuo) and walk for 9 minutes to reach Haowangjiao.
Google Maps coordinates: https://bit.ly/374lt1x
5 scenic spots in 1 place!
Yes! You’re reading it right! If you’ve been longing to visit this particular spot, then you’re in luck that you just stumbled upon this site.
There are actually five delighting spots in here that are worthy to visit.
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Cape of Good Hope, Haowangjiao 好望角
Click here for Google Maps coordinates
- Qinghai Temple 清海宮
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Guogang Tunnel 過港隧道
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- Fossil Layer 化石層
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Cape Paradise 海角樂園
Hǎi jiǎo lèyuán
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Riding a bike to get to The Cape of Good Hope, Haowangjiao 好望角 will take nearly an hour and a half.
To make things simpler, our point of origin will be at Lóngfèng Harbor 竹南鎮 in Zhunan.
If you’re riding a bike or a scooter, please take a moment to examine the image below.
Longfeng Harbor Intersection
Take heed, that the two inner lanes are dedicated to fast moving vehicles only. YOU SHOULD NOT ENTER any of these.
The two outer lanes are for slow moving vehicles. And yes, that includes your bike. Commence here.
If you’re not yet familiar with traveling through Taiwan, then I suggest that you must engage in a group ride first. Always take with you your GPS capable phone, and a backup battery or a power bank.
If you want more tips on what to pack for a ride, then you should visit GCN’s Channel on Youtube.
I also ride with groups, but oftentimes I prefer riding alone because it gives me a sense of freedom. I’m always free to choose when the right time to stop. When to have a little break or whenever I feel the need to take images.
A sign on the road like the succeeding image is widespread all throughout the Island. You should always watch out for such if you’re riding on hybrid expressways. That’s your lane as a cyclist, definitely.
Common Bike Lane Sign In Taiwan
Rice fields that seem endless as you travel through Zhunan-Houlong Route.
The agricultural sector in Taiwan is not being left behind and is instead significantly supported by the government. For it greatly supports the food security, development of rural communities, and mainly for the conservation of Taiwan.
Implementation of high-technology in farming is obviously utilized here.
An image of the Zhonggang Estuary.
The above image is the Zhonggang Estuary. This is the point where the river absolutely greets the ocean. On the right side (not shown) is the Zhunan Incinerating Plant.
You will definitely pass along this particular area if you’d prefer to choose the Zhunan-Houlong route.
Upon reaching this point, you should turn right. This will lead you to The Cape of Good Hope, Haowangjiao 好望角.
Turn left.
This time you have to turn left. You can go straight ahead, but this will lead you to a stairway. Of course, that too will lead you up to Haowangjiao, but you have to let your bike stay down below.
All throughout the journey, this will be the steepest point. Start shifting your gears.
You can see this sign upon arrival at the top.
The peak of the mountain overlooking the Taiwan Strait. You have arrived at the Cape of Good Hope.
The pulchritudinous Cape of Good Hope, Haowangjiao 好望角 never ceases to amaze me. There are times that I just want to put down the camera and just prefer in indulging myself in admiring the view. As James Thurber once said, “Beautiful things don’t ask for attention”.
Profound. Isn’t it?
A flock of people is always here during weekends and holidays. Don’t worry about the parking space if a car is your preferred means of transport to get here. There’s an ample space at the top. And yes, there are comfort rooms too.
And if you’re hungry or just want to have a bite, then there’s nothing to worry about. There are literally vendors here that sell beverages and snacks.
Food Stalls in Haowangjiao.
Further down below is the stairway that descends directly to the railway. In the background is the Taiwan Strait.
According to Wikipedia, the township’s name (Houlong) originates from that of a Taiwanese Plains Aborigines’ settlement. During the Kingdom of Tungning, the place was called Aulangsia (Chinese: 後壠社). Other variants of Aulang existed (Chinese: 凹浪/後壟; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Āu-lâng).[2] In 1920, the place was renamed Kōryū Village (Japanese: 後龍庄), under Chikunan District (竹南郡), Shinchiku Prefecture.
Did you know that Aborigines have been living in Taiwan long before the Chinese came? They’ve been here for thousands of years before the arrival of Chinese people. Taiwan was once a Dutch colony and the capital was Tainan and not Taipei.
Many Taiwanese are actually Austronesians. The same group where Filipinos, Indonesians, Malaysians, Maori people of Hawaii/New Zealand and Thais belong. That’s the reason why you come across people that look exactly like Filipinos when you explore the highland territories.
Their hair color, skin color, height, and other striking physiological resemblances are very plain to see.
Notice also their language. It’s not even Chinese at all.
Example are Paiwan people that are located in southern Taiwan.
Their language is actually related to “Ilocano”, my native dialect.
Their’s even a scientific theory that all Austronesians actually originated from Taiwan.
As of June 2014, 16 groups have been recognized.
We’ll not dig deeper into this, but if you’re intrigued, you can search for a documentary made by BBC, titled South Pacific. In addition to this, search for the movie賽德克·巴萊Seediq Bale.
The most expensive movie that Taiwan has ever produced.
This movie is based on true historical events and you’ll certainly learn more about the history of Taiwan after watching it. You’ll be surprised to find out, that the protagonist Mona Rudao looks exactly like a typical Filipino.
Is Haowangjiao once a fortified place?
This military structure makes me imagine that machine guns actually protruded through these holes during World War II, perhaps. Or were they just recently made?
Or were they just built just in case? Anyway, I won’t go further into that matter.
And yes, you can find such structures at the top of Cape of Good Hope.
If you’re done visiting Haowangjiao, then perhaps you may want to check out the other nearby scenic/historic spots too.
That includes:
The giant Matsu statue, the Historic Train Tunnel, The Fossil layer and Cape Paradise (beach).
Qinghai Temple清海宮 with The Giant Mazu Statue in the background.
The giant statue of sea Goddess Matsu overlooking the Taiwan Strait.
A sign at the Historic Train Tunnel
Gougang Tunnel’s Entrance
You can see this right at the Tunnel’s Entrance
An informative sign at the Fossil Layer.
The Fossil Layer Site
This spot intrigues me a lot. Here’s an ancient definitive evidence of a violent Tectonic Plates activity. Notice the sediment layers. Why are they tilted?
This is due to earthquakes in the past. The violent force is so evident that the ancient seafloor is even lifted above sea level. This is how mountains are formed over time.
But take heed that not all mountains are formed this way. Some are actually spewed out by volcanoes. Anyway, we’ll not dig deeper into that.
Cape Paradise.
A man trying his luck in Cape Paradise.
Check out the clip of my journey.
Check out my blog on The 17 Kilometer Scenic Coastal Area in Hsinchu, Taiwan
Check out my blog on Dragon Phoenix Harbor in Zhunan, Taiwan