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Exploring The Upper Navua Gorge...

Glenn Lewman, friend and owner of SOTAR Mfg., had been to Fiji on numerous occasions in search of paradise and a bit of rest and relaxation. He found all three and a little more. With a keen eye for whitewater and a yearning for adventure, Glenn couldn't resist pouring over maps of the islands and speculating on the potential for a world class river run somewhere in Fiji's highlands. Glenn eventually came to know and run the Upper Navua Gorge. Like most of the unique places on this earth, the Upper Navua Gorge had remained relatively unexplored and unknown for good reason. It was difficult to get to, difficult to get out of, and it was in an unlikely part of the world for anyone looking to find whitewater. Undeterred by those challenges and encouraged by the accounts of Glenn's previous journeys, we packed our bags, loaded the camera and set off on a remarkable trip that would not only reveal a hidden Fiji, but would ultimately change our lives forever...

Since dawn, we had been bouncing our way through the rainforest on a cobblestone logging road in the back of a 3-ton truck in search of Nabukelevu village where we would find our put-in. At one point along the way we stopped on a mountain pass to stretch and get a good lay of the land through which we would be kayaking. While much was obscured by low-level cloud cover and dense rainforest, we could discern what appeared to be a substantial water catchment for a South Pacific island. We had no doubt that there would be plenty of water.

who obviously had been through this routine before. They pulled our gear from the back of the truck, unrolled the boats and pitched in when it came time to pump them up. While it was certain they knew what we were doing, it was equally certain by their line of questioning they did not understand why. Perhaps it was the distance we would have to travel to the first village; perhaps it was the whitewater, perhaps the unknown. Whatever the reasons, floating the Upper Navua in tiny inflatable kayaks was something the villagers of Nabukelevu had not considered a recreational activity.

Life jackets tightened, helmets secured, we bid our final farewells to the kind people of Nabukelevu and headed downstream in search of adventure and the fabled Upper Navua Gorge. Once we left the peaceful village of Nabukelevu we were at the mercy of gravity, churning water, a steep gorge and the best of Mother Nature, none of which would leave us disappointed. Most signs of human habitation faded away within the first kilometer of paddling. There was an obvious departure from man's presence, it was as if by some unknown law, human intrusions were not welcome here, and an invisible gate had kept them out. Visitors yes, residents no. Our pre-trip research revealed that approximately 250 years ago an ancient village had laid claim to a hillside about a kilometer from the river, near the entrance to the gorge. However, the villagers abandoned the hillside after visiting missionaries spread a small pox epidemic among them. Since the infection occurred more than two centuries ago, man's incursions into the area have been limited to the occasional pig hunting party and infrequent river runner. Some of the latter had entered by helicopter, rafted and then exited again by helicopter, while others had kayaked the whole stretch like we had planned. We had a lot of river to descend, in fact we had nearly 45 kilometers ahead of us; approximately 25 by kayak and 20 by motorized punt before reaching our final destination of Navua Town. Knowing this we picked up the pace and so did the whitewater!

Finding some need to identify the places we were seeing with something familiar to us, we could not help but name the rapids and some of the places we were experiencing. Our first test was a class III boulder garden we have come to call "Bula," a typical greeting in Fijian and a name we thought fitting since the rapid is a true welcome to the whitewater challenges that lie ahead. After a quick scout, we hopped back in our kayaks and did a little eddy-hopping through the rock maze at the top before turning downstream and building up momentum to crash through two holes at the bottom. This was fun, and we were just getting started.

After a few more Class II rapids, we heard the next big boulder choked roar of a drop. We did not even have to see this one to know it was time to stop and scout our course. We scrambled over a few Volkswagen sized boulders parked next to the house sized rock from here we got our first glimpse of what we've come to call Save-U, Save-U or savu savu. The name seemed fitting because this would be an appropriate time to make your peace with the canyon by offering up a traditional savu savu of grog to the "powers that be". And as the name implies, there is a good chance that someone will have to save you at the bottom if you lean the wrong way or careen into the behemoth sized boulder strategically located dead center of this already tight run. If kayakers were, darts the rock would represent a bulls-eye and the river a marksman of uncommon ability. No verbal exchange was needed here. We gave each other that look of "ok, here we go," and off we went around some entrance obstacles at the top, down the chute, and yep, you guessed it, right for bulls-eye rock. Fortunately for us, we did not stick; instead, we leaned into the rock, braced, and with luck remained upright in our boats.

Off we went to the remaining wild rides, fun drops, big waves, and rock-stacle courses that lie waiting downstream. Before reaching the entrance to the gorge, we encountered a handful of perky Class II rapids and three other rapids of notable size: "Kava Falls," a great two drop rapid. "The Squeeze" or Room of Doom" which depended greatly on our entrance and ultimately where we ended up at the bottom of the run, and the last, longest, and largest rapid, Uwa-Owa-Uwa. The length and liveliness of Uwa-Owa-Uwa immediately grabbed our attention. The big drop at the top, followed by a rock garden full of holes and some good waves at the bottom, earned its name; "uwa" means whitewater in Fijian, "owa" is what you're going to say if you swim this one.

Generally speaking, we were pleased with our runs, but we were not to enter the gorge unscathed by our trials. Ironically, it wasn't any of the BIG rapids that actually caught us by surprise... We would like to think that because each of the five biggies got our undivided, completely focused attention, we had matched our skills to the situation and emerged triumphant. However, we are not above accepting that luck could have been a significant player in our success. In the end it was one of those unnamed, trivial, peanut sized, Class II rapids that gave us a dunking, a bloody nose and a reminder that what we were doing out here, alone and in the middle of an unfamiliar wilderness, was not without risk. Humbled by our experience, we refocused, faced downstream, went with the flow, ran the last Class IV rapid and entered the gorge.

In exchange for the challenges we faced during the first 5 kilometers of aggressive whitewater, we were rewarded with rare views of one of the most unique little gorges in all the world. For here, hidden by an impenetrable rainforest, lies a canyon nearly 12 kilometers long, and at places over 50 meters high and barely 7 meters wide. This is a place of plummeting waterfalls, where bars of sunlight illuminate moss covered cliffs and strange geologic formations watch over the visual treasures of an Eden untouched by man's careless intrusions. This is without doubt, a place where Mother Nature Highlighted her artistic ability. Amidst this natural stone cathedral complete with emerald archways and the reverberating hymns of cascading waterfalls we realized we were experiencing a canyon that had rarely before revealed its secrets, its uncommon beauty and it's existence to man.

Almost immediately the lighting, the water, the sounds, the look, and the feel of the canyon we would become accustomed to completely changed. It was as if a door to a new, untouched, unknown world had been opened to us. We no longer needed the current of a swift river to pull us downstream; we were so inspired by the fantastic beauty of this place that we were propelled simply by our curiosity for what lie around the next bend. We soon found out that even our imagination could not keep up with the reality of each unfolding scene. Over the next 12 kilometers we found ourselves either speechless or chattering away, hopelessly searching for words to describe the beauty that lie before us.

Eventually the current, combined with our curiosity, propelled us to the last of the day's surprises, a final beautiful waterfall (our favorite) which marks the exit to this "Grand Canyon" and our ultimate return to civilization. Following a short but refreshing dip beneath these cool clear waters, we jumped back in our boats and met up with our able punt driver just a few kilometers downstream. Beneath the pale light of a full moon and a cloudless sky, we attempted to define the amazing place we had just experienced, but eventually found our thoughts drowned out by the droning of the outboard engine.

Deep in thought, perhaps asleep, perhaps just exhausted from our journey, neither of us can really remember but somehow we ended up in Navua Town, our final destination. We unloaded our boats, paid our fare to the boat driver whom, unlike our memories of the Upper Navua, and slipped away beneath the cover of darkness, unnoticed. At first, we felt an unfitting conclusion to a remarkable day, but then we realized that a journey like this never really ends. When you visit a place like the Upper Navua, you discover that you can never really leave it behind. That is one of the great things about beautiful memories, you can hold onto them forever...and this one is worth keeping.

Since writing this article, Nathan and Kelly have returned to Fiji to begin a commercial whitewater operation on the Upper Navua. Due to recent efforts on their part to protect the Gorge it is now under review to become Fiji's first Linear Biosphere Reserve, protected by those who visit the corridor...For more information on their trips, contact them at: P.O. Box 307, Pacific Harbour, Fiji Islands or via e-mail at info@riversfiji.com.

Written by: Nathan & Kelly Bricker

Edited by: Kelly Bricker & Andrea Lagomarsino