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Sincere thanks to everyone who has trekked with us during late 2003 when we commenced; 2004; 2005 and 2006. Yes, its been hectic day in day out since mid April, but hey the look on your faces and the highlights of your treks keeps me going. The KTL boys are an inspiration in themselves, as they just love your company and try their very best so you complete your trek.
According to Warren Bartlett, CEO, Kokoda Track Authority, Kokoda Trekking (KTL) have once again taken more trekkers across the Kokoda Track than any other trekking company, for the third year in a row. Numbers are yet to be finalised for 2006 but he is confident we are way out in front which makes us feel very proud. (Now confirmed, we are ahead by some 160 to the company in 2nd position and quite a few hundred to the third company and so on).
Sincere thanks to each and everyone of you who has booked and walked with us as its been a pleasure meeting you and having you in our care.
As we start to wind down and look forward to a Christmas break with our families we would like to extend our best wishes to all our ex trekkers from all over the world. Some of you may come back again with another group of friends, so we may meet again sometime.
May you all enjoy the festive season, and please do not forget to inform all your family and friends about PNG and the Kokoda Track/Trail. Take care and a BIG HELLO from all of us here at KOKODA TREKKING LTD (KTL).
A listing of our 2006 treks are made up as follows in numerical not date sequence:
Trek No: – Number of trekkers – Date of Trek – Direction of Trek:
- ————————————————————————
- 91A – 20 – 16th April – 24th April – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 91B – 22 – 16th April – 24th April – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 98 – 11 – 20th April – 26th April – Ower's Corner to Kokoda
- 112A – 16 – 16th April – 24th April – Ower's Corner to Kokoda
- 112B – 6 – 16th April – 24th April – Ower's Corner to Kokoda
- 129A – 8 – 26th April – 4th May – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 129B – 6 – 26th April – 4th May – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 129C – 9 – 26th April – 4th May – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 140 – 2 – 9th May – 17 May – Ower's Corner to Kokoda
- 143A – 15 – 11th June – 19th June – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 143B – 7 – 11th June – 19th June – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 145 – 10 – 31 May – 8 June – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 152A – 5 – 7th May – 12 May – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 152B – 9 – 7th May – 12 May – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 155 – 8 – 25th June – 3rd July – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 156 – 43 – 26th August – 27th August – Ower's Corner to Kokoda
- 158A – 6 – 28th June – 6th July – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 158B – 14 – 28th June – 6th July – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 159 – 6 – 20th June – 28th June – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 160 – 5 – 2nd May – 10 May – Ower's Corner to Kokoda
- 161A – 3 – 10th September – 18th September – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 161B – 7 – 10th September – 18th September – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 162 – 7 – 18th March – 25th March – Ower's Corner to Kokoda
- 163 – 10 – 18th July – 26th July – Ower's Corner to Kokoda
- 164 – 11 – 6th May – 14th May – Ower's Corner to Kokoda
- 165 – 6 – 2nd October – 11th October – Ower's Corner to Kokoda
- 169 – 6 – 6th August – 14th August – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 170 – 8 – 14th June – 21st June – Ower's Corner to Kokoda
- 171 – 3 – 22nd June – 28th June – Ower's Corner to Kokoda
- 172 – 17 – 8th July – 16th July – Ower's Corner to Kokoda
- 173 – 8 – 29th August – 6th September – Ower's Corner to Kokoda
- 174 – 10 – 20th September – 27th September – Ower's Corner to Kokoda
- 175 – 11 – 11th October – 18th October – Ower's Corner to Kokoda
- 179A – 7 – 16th July – 24th July – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 179B – 13 – 16th July – 24th July – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 179C – 11 – 16th July – 24th July – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 181 – 4 – 6th September – 14th September – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 182 – 8 – 16th September – 24th September – Ower's Corner to Kokoda
- 183 – 9 – 2nd July – 10th July – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 184 – 13 – 22nd July – 30th July – Ower's Corner to Kokoda
- 185 – 7 – 6th August – 13th August – Ower's Corner to Kokoda
- 186 – 4 – 8th October – 16th October – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 188 – 2 – 1st May – 7th May – Ower's Corner to Kokoda
- 194 – 11 – 30th July – 5th August – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 195 – 3 – 2nd October – 8th October – Ower's Corner to Kokoda
- 200 – 11 – 9th July – 16th July – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 201 – 6 – 6th August – 11th August – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 202 – 12 – 23rd August – 30th August – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 203 – 8 – 3rd September – 10th September – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 204 – 8 – 8th October – 15th October – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 206 – 3 – 7th May – 12 May – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 207 – 10 – 23rd July – 28th July – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 208 – 8 – 17th September – 25th September – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 209 – 10 – 22nd October – 27th October – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 210 – 4 – 28th April – 5th May – Ower's Corner to Kokoda
- 211 – 9 – 13th June – 21st June – Ower's Corner to Kokoda
- 212 – 16 – 3rd July – 12th July – Ower's Corner to Kokoda
- 213 – 13 – 21 May – 29 May – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 214 – 11 – 14th September – 22nd September – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 215 – 3 – 8th July – 16th July – Ower's Corner to Kokoda
- 216 – 7 – 23rd August – 31st August – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 217 – 8 – 7th July – 18 July – Ower's Corner to Gona/Buna
- 218 – 5 – 14th May – 22nd May – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 219 – 22 – 4th June – 12 June – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 220 – 11 – 18th June – 24th June – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 222 – 9 – 18th August – 26th August – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 223 – 5 – 26th July – 3rd August – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 224 – 13 – 2nd August – 10th August – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 225 – 13 – 17th September – 25th September – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 226 – 8 – 9th July – 17th July – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 227 – 2 – 28th March – 5th April – Ower's Corner to Kokoda
- 228 – 21 – 2nd August – 10th August – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 229 – 4 – 20th September – 28th September – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 231 – 10 – 3rd April – 10th April – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 232 – 3 – 24th September – 30th September – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 233 – 4 – 8th July – 16th July – Ower's Corner to Kokoda
- 234 – 8 – 23rd August – 30th August – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 235 – 7 – 12th July – 20th July – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 239 – 2 – 18th June – 26th June – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 243 – 2 – 21st June – 29th June – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 247 – 2 – 4th July – 12th July – Ower's Corner to Kokoda
- 248 – 2 – 19th July – 27th July – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 252 – 1 – 9th August – 17th August – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 259 – 6 – 24th September – 2nd October – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 260 – 3 – 1st October – 9th October – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 261 – 8 – 10th October – 18th October – Ower's Corner to Kokoda
- 262 – 9 – 6th July – 12th July – Ower's Corner to Kokoda
- 266 – 2 – 25th June – 30th June – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 267 – 4 – 18th October – 26th October – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 268 – 4 – 7th October – 15th October – Ower's Corner to Kokoda
- 270 – 13 – 12th August – 20th August – Ower's Corner – Kokoda
- 271 – 2 – 27th June – 5th July – Ower's Corner to Kokoda
- 273 – 9 – 5th September – 13th September – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 274 – 7 – 25th June – 2nd July – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 275 – 3 – 25th October – 2nd November – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 276 – 7 – 30th October – 5th November – Ower's Corner to Kokoda
- 290 – 1 – 16th June – 21st June – Ower's Corner to Kokoda
- 297 – 11 – 30th July – 6th August – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 298 – 8 – 27th August – 4th September – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 300 – 2 – 22nd September – 1st October – Ower's Corner to Kokoda
- 306 – 12 – 1st October – 7th October – Kokoda to Ower's Corner
- 307 – 4 – 19th September – 27th September Ower's Corner to Kokoda
- 4 – Kingsley Eroro's trek – 19th September – 27th September – Kokoda to Ower's
- 1 – Lone trekker November – date yet to be advised
A total of 848 trekkers and 104 treks:
Photograph: Trek 185 seen here at the Isurava Battlesite Monument area along with their KTL porters and guides.
ross1.jpgyes, there has been mud, but hey isnt this part of the adventure – just ask Jo Neary refer pic below:
Anzac_Kokoda_2006__10_.jpgHow it all began, our largest treks for the year – ANZAC 2006 – Kokoda airport 16th April:
Kokoda_Anzac_2006__9_.jpgOur KTL boys as they are commonly known, were on the track in their hundreds accompanying trekker after trekker to successfully walk the Kokoda Track or as some say Kokoda Trail.
A group of porters laughed as they remarked how a guesthouse owner stated, not the 'red shirts again'! Yes, our boys walk proudly in their PNG coloured shirts of Red, Black & Yellow, the same colours as the PNG flag.
Trekker after trekker remarks how our KTL boys will do anything and everything to try and get you home. A son who walked with his 60 + year old mother commented on how they helped her by lifting/pushing/pulling – anything – but she did make it to Ower's Corner and was just so proud of herself and her team of porters and guide:
Photograph by Ross Eason – some of our KTL porters seen here at Isurava during Trek 185:
ross2.jpgSo many highlights during 2006 but one that stands out is the courage and determination of our blind trekker Charlie, what an achievement.
Photograph: Charlie McConnell seen here after he successfully completed his trek. With him is our KTL guide and porters along with his friend Ellis Janks (Right) and a fellow young trekker Thom Fuller.
IMGP2477__Small_.JPGCan you imagine for a minute how many billy's these guys boiled day and night to give our trekkers a cuppa:
Picture_066__Small_.jpgSome of our trekkers wanted a little culture and a Kokoda experience and chose a trek that co-incided with the Hiri Moale Festival held at Ela Beach on the 16th September. This festival is always held on the same weekend PNG celebrates their year of Independence. Trekkers were invited to front row seats by the organisers which was fantastic and great for photographs:
IMGP2276.jpg<span style='color:darkred'>2006 was also sad for us when we lost one of our trekkers, the late Ian Bergman who was on trek 211. To this day our porters and guides stop and pay their respects at the point where Ian collapsed and passed away.
One recent trekker sent me a photograph and message to pass onto Ian's family….
</span><span style='color:darkblue'>To the Bergman Family,</span>
I've wanted to walk the Kokoda Track for a long time now. I'm a bit of an amateur historian with a family history peppered with relatives who have served Australia in both World Wars. I also went to a boarding school in Brisbane and a number of school friends came from PNG. So I had strong reasons to go.
I heard of Ian's death a couple of weeks before I left for PNG. It was bit of a shock to find a neat cross placed on the track side where Ian collapsed. My experience along the track indicated that the locals, the guides and the porters all have great respect for the track and for the places where people have died. It is now clear to me, that it is normal behaviour for them respect the site and to place the cross there.
When our party were approaching Isurava, our guides showed us a place they call "Operation Rock". This is a fairly flat rock on the side of the track and was used by the Doctors as an operating table, to work on wounded Australian soldiers during the battle of Isurava. As we approached the rock, I remember one of our porters, Tim, picking a sprig of a jungle flowers from a nearby shrub and placing it on the rock.
I'm fairly confident that the "boys" will place the same respect for the place where Ian died and will continue to maintain the cross.
I had a limited number of "poppies" with me to place on certain memorials on the track. I placed one on the cross held there by a ribbon tied to the cross. In the enclosure I have placed a photo I took of the site. I would be more that happy if you would like to contact me.
My deepest sympathy to your family.
Steve
Trek 173
10172_Ians_Garden_Ioribaiwa__Small_.jpgOn a happier note, our trekkers always comment about EFOGI the guesthouse at the halfway point.
Landy Noel and his wife always take good care of our trekkers to the point they usually say 5 star accommodation – best guesthouse on the track:
10127_Luxury_Hut_Efogi_2__Medium_.jpgWe have welcomed lots of Aussies….
IMGP1625__Small_.JPGLets not forget the two swiss guys who just turned up on our doorstep and asked to join a trek….what characters….still thinking of them as they make their way across PNG to crossover into Indonesian to continue their adventure before they return to Switzerland in January 2007:
Two cousins who were on the same trek remarked how they had almost ran out of things to talk about before they commenced their trek and within hours they had the company of these two young men who had a fantastic time:
IMGP2516__Small_.JPGSing Sing traditional dancers have welcomed more trekkers than ever before to the town of Kokoda and just LOVE showing off their culture:
Lets not forget Russell's mother who has hugged and welcomed to Rusty's Family block in Kokoda, trekker after trekker…..this has been going on for well over 15 years of her life….the words ORO ORO ORO are never far from her lips (WELCOME, WELCOME, WELCOME):
Picture_298__Small_.jpgHow about the swim in the creek in this case complete with a beer to celebrate a successful trek at Rusty's family block in Kokoda:
Picture_095.jpg
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