Hi Michelle and Wayne,

Just to say thank you for the trip and the special attention that was afforded to our families following the incident of the 10th Aug, I know my wife and friends were appreciating the fact that they had been kept in the loop at all times.

For myself, what a way to finish an excellent adventure with white water rafting as a bonus, please rest assured that I will be pushing the Kokoda Spirit wheel barrow if anybody expresses an interest in undertaking this journey.

Well done.

I would like to commend Max as an excellent “aussie” guide (even if he is a kiwi, we think deep down, that he will possibly make a reasonable bloke anyway!!).

Again well done.

Thanks,

Rob Hines

Hi Michelle, Wayne and Helen,

I would just like to say that the trek with Kokoda Spirit was one of the
most memorable experiences of my life.

From start to finish the planning, organisation and leadership of our trek
exceeded my expectations and left me with a deep understanding of the
history and sacrifice of those men who fought there.

My friends and I felt confident in the abilities, knowledge and guidance of
our Papuan leaders, Noel and Freddy, the support of our porters and
especially appreciated the contribution made by Max, the Australian guide.

Max had just the right mix of knowledge, energy, competence and above all a
deep commitment to the historical significance of our journey - I'd be happy
to have him on my team in any sticky situation.

The efforts to contact our families so quickly after the Twin Otter crash
was greatly appreciated and went a long way to calming the many people who
were concerned at the time. The effort put into arranging alternate plans to
overnight at Awala and fly out of Popondetta worked very well with all
enjoying the experience of meeting the villagers and the entertainment
provided.

Please feel free to use any of these comments in your promotional
materials/websites - they are from the heart.

Look forward to catching up again sometime - maybe interested in a Sandakan
trek if this is available.

Regards,

Craig Hart

Hello Wayne & Michelle,

It has taken me some time to write you this e-mail since returning from our trek. (12-20th July) but better late than never.

Firstly thankyou to Kokoda Spirit for organising such a life changing adventure. It was truly a spiritual as well as a physical experience & challenge. All aspects of our trip were well organised and even when hitches occurred they were overcome without a problem.

The loss of the plane and all on board only two weeks after we had returned home bought home how fragile our lives really are and how fickle is the hand of fate.

I would also like to let you know how well Josh, Martin and all the Buna Crew looked after us on our trek. All the boys were unbelievably helpful. The general porters and also our personal porters were watching out for us the whole time and were always there when a little assistance was required, such as getting a hand up from a touch down.

Michelle, I have a letter and a few photos to send up to Joe Waito my personal porter. It was Joe's first trek and I cannot praise his efforts enough. It was a very sad time when we had to say our goodbyes. A few tears were shed, enough said.

Could you let me know the best way to get the letter etc to him. Do I send it via Kokoda Spirit or do you have a direct address to Buna? Also do you know if any of the Buna Crew has an email contact.

Thanks again Michelle.

John Titmus

Hi Wayne & Michelle,

I couldn't be happier. I've just come back from your 10th to 19th August trek and had a really great time. The weather was perfect, although it rained on two of the nights but that really didn't cause any inconvenience to anyone. The food was quite nice, and plenty of it, especially the night time meal. We only saw one leech, and even the mosquitoes seemed to stayed away. Max the trek guide did a splendid job and although the seventeen of us were all male, we got on famously.

My reason for the trip was to literally walk in the footsteps of my father that served in the 2/1st Battalion, and participated in the battle at Eora Creek and also at Buna. As you can well imagine, I found the whole trip very emotional, and saw all that I could have wished for. He talked very little about his experiences, and now I can relate to the battalion records concerning the terrain and the hardship that they all went through.

Thank you for the professional way that your company conducted the entire trek.

Yours sincerely

Ralph White

I know it has been four weeks since i was over in PNG hiking the track. However, i still am remembering the most amazing experience ever! My thoughts are with the PNG people and the Kokoda village after the devistating plane crash and i would like to send my love and thoughts to you all.

I also would like to say that Geoff and his treaking team were absolutely sensational on the track and i highly recomended them to any one and everyone! I completed the track from the 13th to 23rd of July and Geoff and his team were sensational.

Thank you to Kokoda Spirit for this amazing experience.

Cheers Bindy

Hi Wayne & Michelle,

I couldn't be happier. I've just come back from your 10th to 19th August trek and had a really great time. The weather was perfect, although it rained on two of the nights but that really didn't cause any inconvenience to anyone. The food was quite nice, and plenty of it, especially the night time meal. We only saw one leech, and even the mosquitoes seemed to stayed away. Max the trek guide did a splendid job and although the seventeen of us were all male, we got on famously.

My reason for the trip was to literally walk in the footsteps of my father that served in the 2/1st Battalion, and participated in the battle at Eora Creek and also at Buna. As you can well imagine, I found the whole trip very emotional, and saw all that I could have wished for. He talked very little about his experiences, and now I can relate to the battalion records concerning the terrain and the hardship that they all went through.

Thank you for the professional way that your company conducted the entire trek.

Yours sincerely

Ralph White

Hi Wayne and Michelle,

Just a note to say thank you to you for one of the most enjoyable, difficult and rewarding trips of my life. Our group, which we nicknamed “Jungle 13” completed the trek on 20th – 29th July and we had an absolute ball. With Max leading us along with Johnny and Duffy, we were in very safe hands. We had the best group of personal porters imaginable and I think the five of our girls wanted to bring ours home. My porter, Rex, was only 17, younger than my son, and I couldn’t imagine my son walking the track over and over.

The camp sites were awesome, the food was beautiful and the locals were friendly and obliging.

The memorial services at Brigade Hill and Isurava were very moving and brought home the reason for following in the footsteps of heroes. Compared to our Diggers, it was a nice walk for us interrupted by tree roots, mountains, rocks and mud!

We were blessed with brilliant weather, with rain for about an hour one afternoon.

Once again, thank you so very much for the challenge and experience of walking the Kokoda Trail. It will definitely hold a special place in all our hearts forever and we have formed a bond and friendships that will never be broken.

Gill Wheatley

Hi Wayne and Michelle,

I’ve been back in Darwin for 3 weeks now and I am still having trouble adjusting to western life. I think about the trip everyday.

Walking the track was certainly a highlight. It was truly an amazing experience. I would love to pass on my thanks to all involved in making it happen.

We originally requested a local lead trek as our interest in the local culture and people is as high as the war history of the trek. We were not disappointed. We had Charles as our trek master (I believe it was his first time) and he was wonderful. His enthusiasm is contagious. John was our head guide and another John, plus Kelly helped along the way. All the guys are champions, their efforts in doing anything they could to help us and each other was nothing short of exceptional. They are a great team and they work that way, as a team.

I would recommend your training programme to anyone doing the walk. I had a couple of injuries prior to the trek which meant I couldn’t train as much as I had planned, although I knew I would get through it, I was tougher than what it could have been. My brother Andrew did your programme and he seemed to float up the climbs.

The food was great, the attitude of your guys was great and their sense of humour was welcome. There’s a part of me which will stay on the track (I don’t mean any cartilage I had on my knees). In that great poem about the fuzzy wuzzy angels it mentions that Christ is a black man with fuzzy wuzzy hair. I had those same emotions when climbing that last hill up to Owers, and the boys had all gone ahead to “sing” me to the top. I’ll never forget it.

Cheers

Dave Friebel

Dear Wayne and Michelle,

Last Thursday myself and group of 9 friends completed the Kokoda track with your company. It was the most challenging, motivating and eye-opening experience I have ever faced. I loved every second of it and just wanted to commend Kokoda Spirit for allowing us to take part in such an amazing experience.

More importantly however, our group wanted to commend our crew of local PNG people that accompanied us. You should be so proud to have such amazing people working for you. Our trek master was Geoffery and we couldn't have had a better man in charge. You could tell the rest of the crew had the upmost respect for him as their leader and it didn't take long for our Aussie group to feel the same. His organisation, informative briefings, sense of humour and cheeky lil grin when we asked if we were nearly at the top of a mountain (generally had at least an hour to go!) made us confident we were in great hands and set the bar for what a fantastic adventure we were to have.

Geoffery's crew became our own fuzzy wuzzy angels. Charlie was our fearless trek leader, he seemed to know exactly when we needed to stop to guzzle water down and take our packs off for a rest. After slogging up a mountain for what would seem like hours Charlies words 'packs off, 10 minutes' would make me the happiest person alive! He set a challenging yet achievable pace and just seemed to know what our group could cope with.

Our group was initially worried how we would manage the trek as we all had decided to carry our own packs. 6 out of our 10 were girls and many people had told us when planning the trek that us girls wouldn't be able to do it with our packs on and should get porters. Being quite a stubborn bunch and always up for challenge it was this that made up our minds. Stubbornness or stupidity, we all carried our packs to prove people wrong. Worried however that we may struggle, our group got 2 porters in case we had problems. Rugger and Sam became two of our favourites on the trek. They got off a bit easy really as they hardly had to carry anything! But they were there for us every step of the way helping us up enormous steps that my lil legs couldn't physically make without a pull up. I would be trooping up a mountain staring down at the persons boots in front of me and would come to a wall where I'd have to get my feet into footholds that were so far apart I would just be thinking 'How the hell am I going to get up this?' when magically a hand would appear with Sam's smiling face attached to it. He would pull me up pack and all with little effort. His strength for a small man was unbelievable. They continually gave advice on where to put our feet safely and apologised profusely if we were to slip over seemingly blaming themselves for it happening.

Wampy, Maggie, Henry and Thomas were exactly the same. They knew exactly where the tricky parts of the track were and would always run ahead and be there to help us through. They held our hands to guide us along log crossings and saved us hundreds of times from sliding down the slippery muddy downhill sections of the trek. They were unbelievable, they would jog across the log crossings which we would take painstakingly slow, step by step. They would glide across the mud where I would be sinking in past my ankles. We would be covered in mud from head to toe at the end of each day but the crew wouldn't have a spot on them, and Henry was walking in sandals and Rugger in footy boots!

Once we got to our campsites Benson, Musta, Adian, Tony and Attu would have the water boiling in no time for cups of tea and dinner would shortly follow which we couldn't get enough of. The food was delicious every single night and we would always be excited to see what was going to come out of the boys big pots each day. Some people had told me I would loose weight doing Kokoda, from the amount of food I was guzzling down (most nights going back for thirds!), I think I probably would have put ON weight! We'd turn our backs for a second on reaching our campsite the boys would have put our tents up already and we would get up in the morning to get dressed and they would be magically packed up again. The crew looked after us magnificently.

It was not only this however that made our experience what it was. It was the boys (and Maggie's) personalities and sense of fun that we feel in love with. The crew where quite shy to begin with but it didn't take long for their true personalities to shine through. According to other groups doing the trek that we would meet at various campsites, our group of friends had way too much energy! We would play endless games and the PNG boys loved to join in. We had competitions to see who could make the best human pyramid, play red rover cross over and charades. They would join in our crazy photo taking endeavours and tell stories about their villages and families. We asked them to sing for us one night and they replied only if we sang for them! So we had a sing off! They had the most amazing voices and it was one of the most moving moments for me to be sitting around a campfire in the middle of the Kokoda track, looking at the stars, and listening to the most beautiful singing I had ever heard. Taken back with the boys singing we were very reticent to follow as in no way could ever compete. However we sang, or at least attempted to sing, Waltzing Matilda and I Still Call Australia Home. This was apparently not enough for the boys who wanted us to keep going. Our initial nerves gone and running out of national pride kind of songs, we cranked out the likes of Cold Chisel's 'Khe San', Don Mclean's 'American Pie' and 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough' (which became our theme song for the trek!) and the boys joined in cheering and clapping. It was my favourite night on the trek.

Sorry that I've written such an essay! But I really wanted to let you know how much the PNG crew made our Kokoda trek the life-changing experience it was. We wouldn't have got through it without these fantastic people around us. They taught us so much about culture, history and life, opening our eyes to a whole different world. We gave the crew as many of our possessions as we could on completion of the trek but this was nothing in comparison to what they had given us along the way. Their kindness will never be forgotten. Our group really thought it was important for us to tell you guys how good the crew was, I'm sure you know this already but I couldn't complete this Kokoda experience without talking the crew up and saying thankyou for organising it all for us.

So thankyou Wayne and Michelle, your company is unreal and I'll be recommending it to everyone. We want to send some photos to Geoffery to give to the boys so hopefully they can get to him through you guys as I think that's where we are going to send them.

Thanks again, I had a blast.

Jacqui

Hi Wayne and Michelle,

Having completed the track we just wanted to let you know that we had a fantastic time. The local led trek with Allan and his boys went perfectly, my sons and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment and Allan and the boys couldn’t do enough for us. Allan and the boys were great, they not only helped us along the track, ensured our safety when things became hard but also had us in fits of laughter on several occasions and taught us some local songs which we all sang as we walked along, making the whole trip extremely enjoyable.

Thanks for everything

Paul, Daniel and Christopher Leskovec

Hi Wayne & Michelle,

Re Kokoda trip 25th May.

Had the best trip with the best group of people. Max was so impressive with his knowledge and the way he educated us all along the way. I have since met up with 4 of the people on the track and intend keeping in touch with as many as possible.

Andrew Winter is developing a website for all to use and become interactive with.

Thanks for such a well organised trip.

Regards

Barry Armstrong

Manager

UBuild Homes

Hi Michelle

I’ve been meaning to let you know the last couple of days that your Vaseline trick worked (along with taping) – had an absolute ball! Just loved the whole thing – really good fun group of people (as well we all kept together which Max said didn’t often happen) and magic weather – although a couple days of rain gave a good taste of slush and mud! It was a journey in the truest sense of the word! Thank you for everything!

Cheers,

Wendy

To all concerned at Kokoda Spirit,

I'd like to say a big thank-you for a wonderful experience on my recent walk along the Kokoda Track with you. We had perfect weather - even the couple of days of rain was appreciated, and I couldn't have wished for a better group of people who joined me. I was very fortunate having Max train and prepare me for the walk - his advice on fitness and gear selection was invaluable and gave me a huge advantage over others!

Max's respect for the land, passion for the history and obvious enjoyment of his work was clearly evident - he was admired by trekkers and porters alike, and is a credit to your company.

Gideon told us to expect the unexpected in PNG - I hadn't expected Kokoda would be such an enjoyable walk - thank-you!

kind regards

Jacky Cooke

Port Douglas Weddings

Dear Wayne and Michelle

Having recently returned from the Kokoda Track as a member of Max and Gideon's team I think the hardest thing I have to do is to find the words that would express the eternal gratitude I have towards Max, Gideon, the Porters and my Personal Porter, Joe.

These guys, as individuals and as a team were fantastic. Combine their skill, dedication and obvious enjoyment in what they do with the fact that we had a great team of people, a very positive dynamic that permeated throughout the trek and a whole bunch of laughs and you can be assured that we had a very memorable trip for all the right reasons.

I would like to say thank you. Firstly for being so professional, informative and well organised in the administration of the trip prior to departure and then secondly for putting us in the hands of such great people to lead us on the Kokoda Track. Never once did I feel that we were not being looked after above and beyond. Not that we needed a lot, but we never wanted for anything and always our expectations were exceeded.

My memories of this trip will last a lifetime. As will some of the friendships I forged. I can only hope that many others will follow in the same footsteps.

Best Wishes

Andrew Winter

UBuild Homes

UBuild Homes: "Providing The Best Value Kit Homes in Australia"

Dear Wayne,

Great Newsletter, maybe you should go into Journalism, although I could never imagine you to long behind a desk (unless there were beer taps on the other side).

What an awesome experience Kokoda was. It is difficult to describe to people the journey we made. The porters, villages, other trekkers, our group and the guides are such a major part of the day to day experience the pain of the walk is sometimes hard to remember (yes I know think back to when I was silent). The lessons I have learnt are numerous, rediscovering the ability to laugh out loud is one I will cherish. My husband is sick of me saying “Kokoda has taught me not to worry about the little things”. I must have said it a few to many times when his last reply was “Well what the (profanity) do you worry about”. They’ve just got to do it for themselves!!!!!

Cheers to you my friend for making a very memorable expedition. Thanks to Michele for all of her patience and wise words. Good luck with the bones, and say hi to Giddeon and the boys; I can’t wait for the CD,

Yours through mud

Fran

PS Big kiss to Mick, he’s such a great bloke.
 

Michelle

Just got back from the track. We had Josh's crew with Marty, Basil, Charles, John etc. Basil was our personal porter and he was excellent, and ever watchful of our safety. The crew were just fantastic, the interaction between them and the 4 walkers made the trip more than we could ever had expected.

It was a very tough hike but Josh and his crew were marvellous. They provided the safety net we needed to feel safe and we chatted, sang, joked and learnt the morning team spirit chant with them as we went. We could also chat about their home life and learnt about the broad ethnic groups who live on and walk the track. Basil was our personal porter and he was just wonderful. My 2 adult sons are now talking about a trek in a couple of years and Josh's Kokoda Spirit crew would be who I would try to line up with.

My youngest son has shown some interest in the walk in a couple of years and Spirit will be the place he would go through and with the same crew if he can arrange it. A truly great trip with a great bunch of guides. Just sorting through your gear list for some memento's to order.

Dave Manhire
Old Reynella SA 5161

Hi Michelle

I would like to echo Dave's comments on how absolutely fantastic Josh's crew were in looking after us on the trek. Basil in particular being our shared personal porter was such a clown and all the guys really added to the whole experience. Josh and Marty also did everything in their power to include us in all aspects of the trek and we welcomed the open conversations and nights spent with all the crew. As Dave said it's a nice surprise of you to offer us the ANZAC day merchandise pack.

Your guys just made everything so great. Special thanks also to Helen in Pt Moresby for smoothing things over for us while we there and helping us get cleaned up when we got back. As for the t-shirt size like Dave I reckon I would be a size L too.

Once again thanks for everything, I'm sure both Dave, Raff, Mark and myself will keep in touch with each other and have a lasting friendship and also with the "Buna boys".

Steve Coulter
PARALOWIE SA 5108

Hi Wayne and Michelle,

After returning from a fantastic trek I wanted to let you know how fabulous Sai and his team of porters were. After being very impressed with Alan and his crew the first time I trekked Kokoda, I knew that the support and interaction provided by the porters is paramount to the success and enjoyment or otherwise of the trip. Given I was returning with family and friends I was hoping that our porters would be as good as the previous crew. Well they exceeded my expectations and were absolutely fantastic. Everything from the support they provide, the food, the laughs, the local knowledge, everything was first class PNG style!! In addition to the history factor so much of the Kokoda experience revolves around the local people and learning about and experiencing the local culture. Being able to share our experience with such a wonderful crew was a privilege. You should be very proud of Sai, Duffy and all the boys and the way they represents Kokoda Spirit.

Thank you for providing us with such an unforgettable experience.

Vanessa Collins

Just wanted to send you an email to thank you for the most amazing, challenging time in my life. I learned a lot about myself and have made some life long friends.

Sai and Machi showed so much duty of care and love to us all while we were on the track and even when we had low moments they were there to support us.  I will always recommend Kokoda Spirit as I thought it was fab and hey we did it.

It was great to have a few drinks with you Wayne at the yacht club.
Once again guys thanks for everything.

Say hi to the crazy Brian and Max. 

Love and kind thoughts Julie Robertson
xxxxx

Hello,

I’m not sure if you remember my mother (Regina Churches) and I but we did your Kokoda Spirit trek in August last year and had the most amazing time of our lives. I also ran into you at the Adventure Travel Expo in Brisbane as I work in a similar field.

Mum and I have since been doing some hiking down in Tasmania and in the Royal National Park in NSW but have decided it’s time for some real adventure.

Your 13 day Sandakan Death March Trek looks absolutely amazing and I was wondering if you had any 2010 dates in mind yet?

Looking forward to your response.

Kind Regards,

Kristy Carstairs
Hostel Buddy & Sales Executive Oceania