Road Round Viti Levu

Suva-Navua Section Opened

From Our Own Correspondent.

SUVA, April 1. ’’PHE new road from Suva to Navua, a distance of 30 odd miles, has now been opened to the public.

Considering the nature of the country traversed, the road is in exceptionally good order. During Easter, many cars went through to Navua, some for the week-end, and others merely for the day.

Once the road is properly consolidated, Navua promises to become quite popular, for although it is a small place, there is a good hotel, and at Naitonitoni, a short distance away, there is a* fine beach.

The first few miles of the new road from Suva traverse coastal tidal swamp country. Then come a rubber plantation, now disused, and a section of country under rice cultivation. After this, one is into the hill country and there are five distinct well timbered spurs. Travel through this country is very pretty and should be a big attraction for tourists, if the Government takes steps to protect the bush from depredations of timber cutters.

Twenty-one miles from Suva is Fletcher’s Lookout, the highest point in the road, 415 ft. above sea level, and from here is presented a glorious view out to sea. After crossing the Lobau River, with its 225 ft. bridge, one comes to more flat country, which is given over to grazing and rice cultivation. This continues right to Navua. Just before the Lobau River is a plantation of rubber trees at Waidoi; unfortunately all these trees have decayed.

The only really bad section of the road is a few miles near Navua, where it tra verses swampy country. Great trouble has been experienced here, for it seems that as fast as metal is spread it sinks.

Survey of this road was commenced in 1933, and construction started in May, 1935. The average width of the formation is 22 ft., with 10 ft. of gravel. At present there are some very bad corners, but these are gradually being cut away. The road, together with 18 bridges, cost £37,000 (£1,680 per mile), which com pares favourably with road building costs overseas.

When completed, the length of the road from Suva to Sigatoka will be 80 miles, and of this 63 miles will be new con struction. So far, the road has reached Taunova, 37 miles from Suva. Construc tion is also under way from the Sigatoka end, and has reached out 25 miles from tlfe Government station at Lawaqua, Sigatoka. A stretch of four miles in between, in the province of Serua, has also been completed, leaving approxi mately 20 miles to be finished.

When this road is completed it will provide a motorable highway right round the island of Viti Levu, which will be a great boon to the Colony as a whole, and will have the effect of opening up much new country. Among other things, the road will be a memorial to the progres sive reading policy of Fiji’s late Gover nor, Sir Murchison Fletcher.