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Papua New Guinea is a land of adventure and exploration. It’s one of the few places on Earth where modernity hasn’t yet made its mark and roads have yet to be built. In fact, Papua New Guinea has only 700 kilometres of paved roads, with the capital Port Moresby being cut off from the rest of the country and accessible only by plane. Thus, it’s no surprise that The Highland Highway is so important – it serves as a link between the villages in the mountains and coasts, while also providing the only supply route for locals living in this region.
The Highland Highway is incredibly difficult to travel on due to its treacherous terrain. It’s filled with potholes and sinking road surfaces as well as landslides, mudslides, and other dangers. Truck drivers are even at risk of becoming victims of armed gangs who take travelers hostage for ransom. Kevin has been travelling down this stretch for ten years now, driving an American truck three times a week to deliver supplies to Kundiawa. His boss is a French ex-patriot who has been living in Papua New Guinea for more than 20 years – he’s become something of a lord among these people given his ownership of several trucks and most shops in town.
Underneath all this lies an abundance of natural resources such as gold, gas, and oil which major international mining companies have taken notice of. This requires experienced drivers willing to risk their lives in this hostile environment – such is Billy’s case who must drive two giant plan machines to Moro oil well deep in the jungle beyond The Highland Highway!
Villages without roads can only be reached by plane – although this isn’t without risks either as many pilots have sadly lost their lives while flying above these highland regions due to bad weather conditions or unusable airstrips often consisting of slippery mud. One young New Zealander named Antony has been doing this job for a year now despite all these factors – it might be dangerous but it’s his passion nonetheless!
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Finally there are pick-up trucks which provide public transport but not much attention is paid to safety standards here either: Paul makes daily trips up Mount Wilhelm (the highest peak in Papua New Guinea!) from the valley with his vehicle full passengers and supplies although he always runs the risk that any mistake might lead them falling off a ravine!
On Christmas Day Father Matthew conducts a huge mass before setting off on trails that few dare venture on in order to spread his religious message far away from civilization. If you want to learn more about these stories then make sure you watch “Highway To Adventure” – an amazing documentary uncovering every aspect of life in Papua New Guinea through those who live there day after day!
