Average Age: This may surprise some of you, but to date the average age of our trekkers has been in their late forties to mid/late fifties. Mainly I think due to families off their hands in some case and a time for parents to enjoy something before they get too old to do so. The oldest so far has been 62 and the youngest 20. We have also had…[Read more]

Carrying your packs: These guys were born in these parts and to them its wages to feed their families so don?t feel guilty as per above, if you hire a porter as they truly enjoy being the fuzzy wuzzy angels of the kokoda trail in 2004 and to them its like a holiday after working their gardens all year round and pushing wheel barrows with their…[Read more]

Training: I have had some emails asking what standard of fitness you have to be at to walk the trail. No, you do not have to be an Olympic athlete but you do need to be able to walk for four + hours during the course of a morning and on most days up and down hills. Last year we had one guy who went out with a broken arm he had hurt during…[Read more]

Two Way Radios ? Communication on the trail: On another subject matter, last Friday I had a fellow work colleague walk into my office and hand me his two way radio. This bloke was about to head off back home after 14 years here in PNG and said, could you do with this for your Kokoda Trekkers and handed me his two way radio. I offered to pay him…[Read more]

ANZAC DAY TREK 2004: We have a trek heading out to Kokoda on the 14 April 2004 – 22 April 2004. Murray Jones is on this trek and he has trekked several times before. He has organized to stay on here in Port Moresby until the Saturday and attend the Anzac Dawn Service at Bomana War Cemetery. A bus is being arranged and can be shared between all…[Read more]

Quote – Anzac Trek March 2003 – Message from Geoff Trott 13th Feb'04 to a future trekker ? joggers or boots: Basically after the first day or so we got to the stage where we just walked through the little streams. The humidity meant that the boots never dried (even before the first water) and changing socks had little effect. They felt good until…[Read more]

Joggers vs Boots: We had a future trekker ask this week if you could wear joggers instead of boots on the trail. The answer is yes, some people do, but it is definitely not recommended by us especially in the wet season. Our journalist Alison insisted on wearing joggers although we bought her a pair of boots. However, it was not considered a…[Read more]

Water: If you take the time to view this subject matter on our website you will see that some trekkers will not even think about drinking the water before purifying it. Others have drank the water and have had absolutely no problems whatsoever. Once again though, I must stress, check with your guide or porter do not just assume it is ok. They…[Read more]

Safety: Yes, PNG has a reputation for being unsafe but honestly speaking, would I as a female be still living and working here for the past 30 years if I felt threatened daily with being raped or possibly murdered? Sure, we have to be careful but providing you live within the rules we set down for ourselves you should not experience any…[Read more]

2. Stay at the Kofure Village Guest House for A$50 per night inclusive of 3 full course meals served during your stay including, variety of fish; vegetables, lobsters, prawns, bananas, paw paw, coconuts and watermelon. You can try out the local canoes on the fjord; go fishing or just simply relax. Two of our trekkers Shane Wilkinson and Michael…[Read more]

Two options on offer: 1. Tufi Dive Resort ? stay in comfort with everything provided much like a hotel anywhere in the world. Cost is around the A$120 per night but I would have to confirm. Diving can be arranged as with other options available on the island.Tufi_Verandah_600.jpg

What to do in PNG besides trek the Kokoda Trail: This week I also received an email from a future trekker asking about Bass Fishing. If anyone of you need to access any information about PNG, all you have to do is to log onto http://www.pngbd.com and click on the FORUM followed by the button that says SEARCH. Type in the box provided your subject…[Read more]

Items for Sale: Last year a group of trekkers were sad coz they were not offered even one thing on the track that they could purchase to take home to their families. I mentioned this to Russell and he said he would see what he could do. Perhaps he has spread the word and this year in 2004, you might be offered string bags, necklaces or the like.

Village Food: Whenever we sleep in a village, our guide tries to obtain some village style food for you all to try. Most people along the trail are vegetarians so it could consist of fruits that are in season and varieties of root vegetables such as sweet potatoes (kau kau). Villagers will also offer you fresh fruit when in season. You are not…[Read more]

Guides and Porters: I might add that we ?encourage? interaction with our guides and porters. Some trekking companies seem to like separating the trekkers from the guides and porters. Russell tells me of one trekking company that would blow them up if they were seen chatting to the trekkers as it was meant for the expatriate leading the group to…[Read more]

http://www.pngbd.com : Many of you may wonder how I am connected to both websites so here I am to enlighten you. I am an Australian ? hence the name ?aussie? who came to PNG with my husband in 1972. I arrived with two small children and had another two years later in Lae where we lived for close on 15 years. My children have all grown up and moved…[Read more]

Alison Anis our Journalist on http://www.pngbd.com : If anyone has searched our websites you will be aware that Alison filled in at the last moment for the late Richard Thompson in the Steve Ovett group. Alison wrote an article about her trek which we have been told was published in the latest edition of the 'In Flight Air Niugini Paradise Magazine'.…[Read more]

Lonely Planet: We have been contacted this month by the editor of the Lonely Planet (www.lonelyplanet.com) as follows: Hello, Lonely Planet will be updating their PNG guide soon. I am the commissioning editor doing some planning for the book and I have some queries about trekking the Kokoda Trail. Would somebody who works with your organisation be…[Read more]

7th March we welcome our very first Japanese Trekkers.: Hiroya Imanaka (26) and Sayaka Ikeya (23). Russell Eroro said in all his 140 + treks he has never before trekked with any Japanese trekkers so this is also a first for him and he is very excited. I added that they were trekking in 6 days and he laughed and said it will be a good test for…[Read more]

Sogeri: On Saturday I took a South African woman I met on a flight back from Australia recently out to Sogeri to have a look at where the trail either starts or ends depending on the way you trek. Would you believe I had no sooner pulled up at the roadside that leads to the trail when in the distance I noticed Eric Uwea one of our guides walking…[Read more]