In addition to the normal work to keep tracks open for our hikers, both Nubutautau village and Nabalesere village have undertaken significant work to upgrade tracks during 2017.

At the end of September, Nabalesere village welcomed the Minister of Forests to open the new track to the spectacular Savulelele waterfall. The culmination of 5 months hard work and many more months of planning, the track now provides safer access to the waterfall area and minimises any erosion previously caused by walkers along the muddy and slippery track.

The work to upgrade the track was undertaken by the village alongside officers from the Parks and Recreation Department of the Ministry of Forests. Track design and training were supported by the Department of Conservation, New Zealand, with the overall project being funded by the FAO.

A section of new track at Nabalesere

More recently, Nubutautau village started work on improving access to some of the cultural and historical sites in the village. The village tourism committee was successful in applying for support from the Department of Heritage and Arts and have nearly completed a walkway and track across a boggy section of land linking their Vale ni Vanua (district meeting house) with the Reverend Baker memorial site. Their hope is that this will make it much easier for visitors to interact more with the history and culture of the area, particular after a day of hiking!

Vilitati Rokovesa showing off a portion of the new walkway in Nubutautau

The waterfall in Nabalesere can be visited on either our Waterfall and Cave day trip or on the first day of the Full Monty. It can also be visited on certain days from hotels on the Suncoast. Nubutautau is one of our partner villages on the Full Monty and the Cross Highland Hike.