JOURNALISTS HIKE MISSIONARY TREK
BY BRADLEY MARIORI
A group of Lae-based journalists and have walked two days along a track in Nawaeb in the hope of opening in to tourists and anyone groups or individuals who are interested in hiking.
Along with them were representatives of Nawaeb District Tourism, local potters, some children and guides.
The track was first walked 100 years by German Lutheran Missionary, Rev Ernst Schnapel from Germany and locals from Finschhafen who first brought the word of God to the Wain Erap and Boana area of Nawaeb District.
The hike was challenging with mountains and cliffs but the team made it through.
They started on thr 23rd December at Didi Village, just outside Nadzab and arrived on the 25th at Gain Parish which was where the first missionaries and teachers from ELCPNG arrived.
Team Leader, Defol Jabar described the walk as a tough and long walk but it has benefits for both the Church (ELCPNG) and Tourism in Nawaeb.
He said the first missionaries trekked the track 100 years ago and to follow their steps and feel the struggles they faced in bringing the word of God to remote areas is immeasurable.
Jabar thanked everyone who were involved to support this walk including Nawaeb MP, Theo Pelgen, Morobe Provincial Administrator, Max Bruten, Morobe Provincial Administration Human Resource Manager, Kusak Meluk, Deputy Privincial Administrator- Corportae Services, Miring Singoling, Nawaeb District Administrator, Buds Botike and everyone who supported in one way or the other to make this walk a success.
He said he is planning to open this track for tourists once training and everything is finalized.
Videographer and Photographer, Japeth Akiz said this experience helped him understand the true meaning of Christmas—humility, sacrifice, unity, and faith.
He said just as Christ was born in a simple place, the walk marked Christmas in simplicity, surrounded by mountains, forests, and history.
” There were no lights or comfort—only nature, silence, and teamwork. We cooked food in bamboo, drank water from bamboo, and rested together after long and demanding walks,” Akiz said.
He said the trek also highlighted the strong potential of Nawaeb Adventure and Church History Tourism and the land carries powerful stories of faith, culture, and endurance that deserve to be protected and shared.
