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We wish to advise you our future trekkers that we will not be taking any more bookings for 2006 until certain landowner issues have been addressed by KTA and TPA and that we have assurances to operate without disturbance by people living along the trail.
Hi Gail, re your message today with regards for further bookings for 2006, whats happening? Was hoping to book for Apr 2006 soon.
Editors Note:Hi, tks for your message. No worries, there is plenty of time to book for 2006, its just we want to make sure we can operate without interference from landowners before we accept new bookings for 2006. Otherwise Russell will become a PMV (truck driver) and I will go finish.
If you could see the faces of all the boys we hired today that walked off with our trekkers you would know how I feel right now giving these young guys jobs. In just two days we would have given work to over 79 young men from all areas of the trail and Kokoda areas.
However, the landowners have to realise that it is us the 'tour operators' that employ these guys; hire their guesthouses; purchase food off villagers etc. As such we need them to respect us and our trekkers. If they have a problem, they have to deal directly with KTA (Kokoda Track Authority), not waste our time and energy.
Hi everyone, no real problems to do with trekkers as such, mainly problems with landowners demanding extra money from trekking companies for walking on their land. At the moment we purchase trek fees from KTA and now have various individuals out on the trail asking trekkers to pay again to cross their land.
We had three trekkers arrive back yesterday and I had to reimburse them K150 that they were forced to pay out of their own pockets before they were allowed to continue walking. I had a group the other end try and stop our trekkers from walking. Its hard to budget for these unnecessary costs & compensation demands.
On top of that we only send our guides out with enough money to cover overnight accommodation and village food purchased etc, hence they are not carrying an extra K20 per person.
I spoke to Warren Bartlett (Executive Officer – KTA) about what is happening and he assures me they will address this problem. There is also an issue down the other end of the trail on the Kokoda side with Orokaiva's wanting representation on the KTA as the board is made up of all Koiari's.
We also have an ongoing issue with a village approximately two hours walk out of Kokoda who accused us of things that are untrue and it has been going on for almost twelve months.
Russell & I have had enough and feel we are doing everything right. We conduct our companies honestly; we pay what we are supposed to pay; we hire more staff than any other trekking company due to the number of trekkers booked with us etc
What we need however, is support from the KTA & TPA to take these troublemakers to court.
Hi Gail,Thanks for your reply,but will this also affect this years trekkers,what should we be prepared for?or will you have it under control.Cheers Baz
Hi Bazza, 54 trekkers headed out today and another 15 left yesterday from Ower's Corner so we will see how they go. Warren (KTA) assures me they have it under control and that if anyone is asked to pay, that they write down the amount and I can claim it back from this end.
As I mentioned earlier, it doesnt affect individual trekkers, its just something us as tour operators have to deal with and we would like to see police & KTA deal with this problem and have the practice stopped.
Help is on its way! – Message received from Warren Bartlett, CEO, Kokoda Trek Authority:
The matter has been discussed with TPA last week and today and meetings with senior police officers are being arranged commencing Tuesday 19 April. It appears that the problem is being stirred along by mainly three people from villagers at the Port Moresby end. Our board member, Garry Imiri, Sogeri Rural Police Commander Stanley and myself visited Vesologo on Sunday and Stanley visited Owers' Corner. The Veselogo community have confirmed the main instigators and it is believed some political motives from the Kokoda end are also involved. The communities told us they do not want these dissidents as they realize they will destroy their tourism industry, thus creating loss of employment and income for Guest House owners and suppliers of food.
The recommended K20 maximum per trekker accommodation rate is considered reasonable with guest houses of present standard. Most Guest Houses have been issued a Duplicate Receipt Book by KTA so Trek Operators should requst a trek to keep people honest. I prepared last year a Register of Guest Houses and Campsites (copy atached), which does need updating from information which tour operators may be able to supply. Such can be confirmed during the next KTA Awareness Patrol being planned for June and followed by a Sustainable Tourism Workshop to be held at Kokoda early July hosted by Kokoda Track Foundation. This will be faciliated by Dr Steven Wearing, Paul Chatterton and Kelvin Templeton. It is hoped to iron out these and other issues at this Workshop. In the meantime, police assistance with KTA and community leader participation will be commenced this week.
Guest House Operators have been recommended to open bank accounts and advise Trek Operators details so payments can be deposited to accounts. Similarly porters can open bank accounts and be paid at the end of the trek. Such will reduce the trek advances to guides and force income earners to save.
I have commented on a number of occasions that the villages on the Central Province side have developed into what appears to be like an extension of the city squatter houses. There is certainly not much traditional appearance in buildings of corrugated and flat iron, broken fibro and in some cases cardboard and tarpaulins. We cannot expect villagers to return to their tree-house design, but there is considerable scope for improved quality bush material village houses. There appears to be little interest by Central Province Track villagers to improve their lot, except by demanding handouts!
Now that the Owers' Corner Road is trafficable when dry, there will be regular maintenance contracts with the community there with work being inspected before payment is made. Unfortunately the continuing rain in April until now has not made this possible. The situation at Brigade Hill with the K5 fee (now K10) should be resolved with KTA paying a maintenance/ caretaker fee to the landowner. This has already been discussed but the landowner does not seem interested. The Battlefield landowners are paid a maintenance fee by C&M Engineers through funds from the War Graves Commission. They should not be charging additional fees apart from the use of the guest house at K20 per person per night.
Track clearing contracts for the Central Province side were arranged by our Deputy Chairman in January on the basis that 50% would be paid once the work had been performed and the balance on completion. Such payments would have been completed now if Norris (who holds a cash advance for such payments) had not have had the unfortunate incident of his father, Koiari LLG President, Hon. Vovovi James Selu suffering a heart attack and being in Port Moresby General Hospital Intensive Care Unit or the past two weeks.
Because of the demands from certain dissidents at the Central Province end, some Tour Operators have been told by such dissidents not to pay KTA the trek fees until after their trek is complete, and then in the presence of landowners, who may or not demand proportion of such funds. K80,000 has not been collected for this reason as well as treks from 24 April for some Tour Operators. The community projects for the Central Province as detailed in the KTA March News Letter, will be provided after satisfactory completion of the Anzac Treks and the Trek Fees are in the KTA account.
KTA is taking a strong stand in rectifying the present unsatsfactory situation. There are school scholarships to be paid now from Kokoda Track Foundaton funds received last week as well as supply of school kits worth K4,000 each to Primary and Elementary Schools in the Kokoda Track Area. There are also four kits of medical supplies to be supplied to Aid Posts on the Track. None of these payments or distribitions will take place until the dissidents are removed, which will mean 52 children will lose their 2005 School Scholarships and be forced to leave school. There is also the possibility of KTA disconnecting the Track Radio Network if the dissidents continue and trekking is suspended.
Hopefully such will not come to that but stern action must be taken now to quell the present problems.
It would be appreciated if all addresees could supply details of unlawful incidents and demands on the Track this year so that the Police, TPA and KTA can investigate and take appropriate action.
Regards ………….Warren Bartlett
(Phone Fax +675 325 1887 & +675 325 5540)Editors Note: Listening to the two way radio today, shows the landowners have let certain trekking companies pass through without demanding money from trekkers. However, quite a few of us have had boom gates confront us when trekking.
This is both an embarrassment to us a trekking company and also to tourism in general.
We thank KTA and TPA for taking a stand to try and stop this practice.
At the present time we have another two treks heading towards Ower's Corner and will wait to see if they too are asked for K20 per person before they are allowed to pass.
As soon as we are aware we can walk without any harrassment from landowners demanding money, we will re-open bookings for 2006.
kind regards
Gail Thomas & Russell Eroro
Kokoda Trekking
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