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Kokoda Airport: For 3 plus years I have looked at the terminal building at Kokoda Airstrip and felt sorry for anyone catching and or departing from the plane.
There has been absolutely no amenities and/or facilities. It has not been too bad for our own trekkers as they have stayed a few km away from the airport on Russell's families block but for others who have walked to the airstrip, there has been no toilets or seats to sit on etc.
This week we decided to do something about it. We asked one of our porters who built Russell's new home to install some seating in the terminal building and to create more shade.
It is already a plus for us when this week while still not even close to being finished, we saw local people and trekkers sitting on the newly constructed seats.
Our trekkers who headed out yesterday seen here putting on their gaitors:
IMGP3751__Medium_.JPGInitially we tried to put some toilets at the airport. We paid for some boys to dig for us a pit toilet. KTA supplied the toilets and we were in business. This only last two weeks, with some locals deciding they needed the canvas which surrounded the toilet walls more than the toilets did. Once the canvas had disappeared we quickly removed the toilets before they too grew legs and walked off like the canvas.
Toilet_1__Medium_.jpgToday our plumber Dickson who also doubles as our food packer left for Kokoda to help try and establish a toilet for us at Kokoda airstrip. Lets hope this works better than the last idea. In PNG obstacles are put up all the time to try and stop progress but we can only keep trying to do our best to find a solution and make some services available for not just our trekkers but all trekkers who find themselves at Kokoda Airport:
Roger (our mechanic), Dickson (our plumber/food packer), Russell Eroro (business partner) and Arnold one of our guides seen here at Jackson's Airport, Hevi Lift departure area 10th June:
Roger__Dickson__Russell_and_Arnold.jpgWe also put a rubbish bin at the airport but unfortunately someone decided to chop it up with an axe so now sadly it does not exist. Fortunately the ones we put around Kokoda Station remain so we have had a win in some ways just have to think what else we can do at the airport.
Green_wheelie_bin_300_size.jpgDespite the acts of one or two, its still great to see the terminal building being used once again. As you can see local people can now sit on the seats we have provided which is really good to see.
IMGP3641__Medium_.jpgOne of our plans is to also build some traditional shelters like the ones below situated at Owers' Corner. If we can get enough kunai grass, we plan on constructing 6 of these around the terminal building so porters/guides/trekkers have somewhere to sit and mingle before they catch their flight back to Port Moresby.
Trek_365.jpgUpdate 25th June: Our builder has almost finished the construction of 6 win haus's as seen in this photograph. Kunai grass was collected yesterday from the people we paid to cut it and from today onwards will go on top of the roof. Trevor our builder will then concentrate on the table and benches so trekkers and porters can have somewhere to sit while they wait for aircraft.
IMGP3906__Medium_.JPGMeanwhile our plumber is working on extending the building so we can put in a flush toilet system for use by the trekking public and other people catching flights in and out of Kokoda.
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