Grazing rights around the Tokai Manor House were initially held by Simon van der Stel, but in 1792, the estate was sold to Johan Andreas Rauch, chief of the armory and head caretaker of the Groote Schuur Estate.
The next owner, Andreas Teubes, built the manor house, with French master architect Louis Michel Thibault credited for its design.
The residence, completed in 1796, featured a high front stoep with massive round pillars and curving twin flights of stairs, making it the most outstanding homestead in the Cape Peninsula.
However, the construction costs ruined Teubes, leading to his bankruptcy in 1799.
In the early 1800s, the residence was owned by Petrus Michiel Eksteen, a party-loving spendthrift known for hosting lavish banquets.
His parties were famous, and his cellars always well-stocked, though he was eventually declared insolvent in 1849.
During one of Eksteen’s New Year’s Eve parties, his son Frederick accepted a wager to ride his horse up the staircase and into the dining room.
The guests watched as he mounted the steep steps of the Manor House on horseback. The horseman circled the dining room table, cheered on by the revelers.
Tragedy struck when, while descending the exceptionally steep steps, the horse tripped, causing both horse and rider to fall. Frederick broke his neck in the fall, dying alongside his horse at the bottom of the staircase.
Legend has it that the spectral horse and rider still canter through the forest, especially on New Year’s Eve, attempting to repeat their foolhardy act.
Over the years, there have been numerous reports of the pair frequenting the area around the Manor House. People have heard unexplained laughter and the neighing of horses from inside the Manor House at night.
In the early morning hours, forestry workers have reported hearing a horse galloping along the road, with a rider in clothes from a bygone era heading straight toward the old house and mounting the steps.