"The Australians who served here in Paupa New Guinea fought and died, not for defence of the old world, but the new world. Their world. They died in defence of Australia and the civilisation and values which had grown up there. That is why it might be said that, for Australians, the battles in Paupa New Guinea were the most important ever fought"
- Paul Keating
Owers Corner - About to set off !
The local children enjoying some of our gifts!
Burritos for lunch!
Elyse's reading at the memorial at Brigade Hill.
Pretty much the coolest treehouse ever.
The last remaining Fuzzy Wuzzy Angel.
Elyse's Birthday Cake! I have no idea how they baked it but it was delicious! Those chefs were the best!
They also made us donuts!
Isurava Memorial Site.
Steven helping me back up after we fell down together. He picked me up or stopped me from falling so many times! Thank you endlessly Steven!
We were the first group of trekkers to stay at the Kovelo site, they treated us to such an amazing welcome!
John with Selby's (his personal porter) family.
We don't look too bad on our 8th day of trekking!
Just having another milo....
Arriving in Kokoda was one of the most emotional experiences of my life. I was so happy to have achieved all that I had but at the same time sad that it was all over, sad that I will probably never see Steven or any of the local crew again. Our porters and chefs helped us immensely and I thank them so much for all they did.
The first thing people asked when I told them I was doing Kokoda (after they looked at me with bewilderment) is “why?” To be honest I never had a real reason! After coming back, I now don’t have a reason why people shouldn’t do it. I remember at the pre-trek briefing in Port Moresby our trek leader Shane told us that Kokoda would change our lives. At the time I didn’t believe him, but little did I know that after 8 nights I would change my mind. The trek affects you not only physically but emotionally and when we arrived in Kokoda I was emotionally exhausted from everything that I had experienced. We were very lucky with the weather, it only rained for half a day, so the track was relatively dry! But this really made me think about the tough conditions our diggers had to endure - rain, mud, mosquitos, limited supply of food, bad water conditions and very tough opponents. I have the utmost respect for all they endured to protect the country I love.
If you have every thought about doing the Kokoda Trail, do! It changed my perspective on life!
