Road to progress: Garaina connected just in time for Golden Jubilee

The freshly paved Morobe-Northern Highway leading to Garaina in the Waria part of Wau Waria district (NBC News: Rachel Shisei)

The Morobe-Northern Highway has officially reached Garaina Station, a development completed just in time to coincide with Papua New Guinea’s 50th Independence Anniversary celebrations today. The achievement comes under the leadership of Marsh Narewec, the first-ever MP for Wau Waria District, who personally oversaw the road’s construction.

Speaking to NBC News, Narewec said he sacrificed attending the last parliamentary sitting to camp on-site, traveling village to village as the road gradually extended to Garaina, the site of the country’s first tea plantation.

“My celebration is this; the road has reached Garaina. Seeing hope in the eyes of the people, who have long been neglected, is the greatest reward, especially as the nation marks its 50th Independence Jubilee,” Narewec said.

Vehicle passing through the newly cut part of the Morobe-Northern Highway leading to Garaina (NBC News: Rachel Shisei)

He recalled emotional scenes along the way with villagers expressing gratitude through tears, ceremonial pig-killings, and mud-rubbing, all symbols of the community’s joy and appreciation.

The Wau Waria District is mountainous and remote, with limited network coverage. Coordinating construction required Narewec to travel long distances, sleep on-site, and seek network access far from the road itself to organize materials brought from Lae, over 220 kilometers in total to reach Garaina.

Narewec acknowledged predecessors, including the late Deputy Prime Minister and Bulolo MP Sam Basil, for starting the road’s development from Wau town. The newly cleared road will serve as a pilot track, to be sealed by the National Government once this phase is completed.

Lae Media personnel meeting the Wau Waria MP, Marsh Narewec on site (NBC News: Rachel Shisei)

“Garaina is a beautiful valley, naturally separated by creeks and rivers, ideal for commercial agriculture. It is where PNG’s first tea plantation was established, and seeing the road reach here gives me immense satisfaction,” he said.

Once complete, the Morobe-Northern Highway will become the ‘Northern Economic Corridor’, linking Garaina to Popondetta in Oro Province, continuing to Abau in Central Province, and connecting rural communities to boost trade and regional development.

After personally inspecting the road back to Wau town, Narewec is set to join his people in celebrating Independence Day, marking PNG’s 50th Golden Jubilee with pride and achievement.