LET’S GO LOCAL
Its back! White water rafting adventure
In the highlands of Viti Levu along the province of Serua lies the ultimate natural experience of a white water rafting adventure.
Within the pristine Upper Navua Conservation Area (UNCA), Rivers Fiji provides locals and tourists alike an unforgettable experience the Navua River has to offer.
Last Saturday morning, as we geared up for the adventure of a lifetime, it dawned to me the natural experiences missed by city life goers.
About past Saturday trip:
Departure time was 7:30am Saturday, from Rivers Fiji’s Pacific Harbour, Deuba, office to the UNCA, which was a two and a half hour bus ride into the interior.
There were 52 people that made up the trip, the first group to the protected area post COVID-19.
Much of the seats were occupied by local travellers some of which were first timers while others were returning.
First 30 minutes into the bus ride, I was already picturing the yellow coloured rafts although we had a long way to go as we turned into the Nabukelevu Road, a dusty bumpy road off the Queens highway.
The local guide inside the tour bus had a sense of humour in his tone of instructions as we stopped at a hill for a two minute moment of awe overlooking the highlands of Serua province.
As we journeyed through Nabukelevu Road we were greeted with a herd of cattle along with horses that stared back at us as the bus slowly journeyed on.
For someone who spends most of my time in Suva City, it was such a lovely sight to see because it is not every day that I get to see the wildlife side of Fiji.
Half way to the designated stopping point where we overlooked the sunrise that set the pathway of this two hour journey, we were served a light breakfast of banana bread and juice.
After some much needed stretch from the bumpy ride, a breath of cold fresh air and a group photo, we continued the journey to the UNCA site.
“One more hour and we will reach our designation” shouted the tour guide, as I could hear all the chattering and excitement building up among the travellers.
Along the way the tour guide gave instructions on what to expect once we arrive at UNCA, a designated area where we will be provided further instructions on the rafting trip.
The tour bus finally stopped at the UNCA site where the tour guides and Rivers Fijimanaging director Kasi Taukeinikoro were waiting.
From where the travellers were standing, we could hear the roaring sounds of the river gushing against the slippery rocks while further down, tour guides were waiting with the rafts.
Mr Taukeinikoro gave instructions on the importance of the provided safety gear such as helmet, life jacket, and paddles.
“Paddles up, team forward”
After the briefing by Mr Taukeinikoro, travellers were guided across green bamboo terrains that provided shade for the trek to the put in area of UNCA.
The paths were properly built with ropes along the way to guide travellers as it was slightly steep and slippery.
We finally reached the put-in area and another local guide gave precise safety instructions when rafting the Upper Navua River.
The instructions were:
■Wear a helmet and ensure that it is safely secured in case you fall overboard and hit a rock.
■Ensure your life jackets are safely worn and tightness rightly adjusted.
■Always know the name of your guide. Mine was ‘Toby’
■Listen to the instructions from the tour guide.
■In case you fall overboard, do not panic as the tour guide will be available to assist you.
■Feet must be in a safety position to brace for impact against the current.
■Guides are equipped with tools such as a whistle, and ropes to rescue travellers in case of an emergency.
■Waterproof dry bags are provided to store personal items such as phones, sunsreen.
■Where overboard and require immediate assistance, place arm over your head as a signal to the tour guide
■Most importantly, paddle as a team We were grouped into six, our tour guide Toby was a knowledgeable chap who had 15 years of experience with Rivers Fiji. He briefly taught us how to position our hands with the paddle, forward and back paddle and lean in for impact, as we were off to start the white water rafting adventure.
Scenery
Tall rock towers on both sides of the river were so majestic that it shaded the river as we headeed down, paddling with the current then plunging through the white water.
The cold air filled with the scent of swaying palms, trees and flora and fauna greeted the travellers, untouched by mankind.
There were visible markings on the rock showing the height of the river when there was a flood.
We stopped over for lunch of chicken and tuna sandwich with fruits and juice spread across a foldable table on a flat dry rock. There was another two hour paddle to go before stopping at the Wainadiro village around 3pm in the afternoon with another one and a half hours drive to Pacific Harbour.
Unique advneture
Rivers Fiji experience is an unique adventure because it is the only rafting company that rafts the Upper Navua River which runs through the UNCA.
There are currently 19 staff employed by the company and the river guides are mostly from the nine landowning clans.
They use state of the art rafting equipment and the safety of guests is paramount.
The Pacific Harbour based company is ofering local specials rate of:
■$130 for Fijian passport holders
■$150 for non-Fijian passport holders working or living in Fiji for over three months
Children below 12 years-old get 50 per cent off; Minimum age: eight years-old.
Target group
The target group for the Rivers Fiji awesome adventure are mainly tourists, families, young independent travellers, groups, student groups, outdoor adventure and activity seekers, rafters and those who love to witness nature.
Mr Taukeinikoro, in an interview said: “We promote preservation and conservation of the environment by investing and owning the first privately owned conservation area in Fiji, which is the UNCA.
“We operate on leave no trace policy.
“We strongly advise guests to respect the environment and river and not litter so as to leave no traces behind,” he said.
“The only thing they can leave behind is their footprints and are strongly advised not to take anything from the river as a memento or souvenir or pick flowers.
“The only thing they can carry are memories and pictures of the unique scenery.”
Last Saturday was the first trip to be taken by the company after the temporary closure in March in light of COVID-19. Mr Taukeinikoro said: “We have been closed from March 27, and we plan to operate only on Saturdays for now.
“The last Saturday river special is designed to assist the guides, the mataqali landowners of the UNCA and also gives us the break after a long COVID -19 lockdown.
“Want to thank those who came to our drive last Saturday to assist our guides and as well as the landowner’s kitty.
“For those interested in future river trips Rivers Fiji will continue to do other specials and you could contact us directly or follow us through our Facebook page.”
The journey on the Upper Navua River was roughly 18km.
Well from the experience of past Saturday and from those who taken the trip it was concluded that Rivers Fiji provides locals and tourists alike an unforgettable experience Navua River has to offer.
So if you’re up for an ultimate outdoor adventure, Rivers Fiji ticks all the boxes.
They can be contacted on 7779450/9922148 or via email info@riversfiji.com