DAY 2 - KOKODA TO ALOLA

Wednesday 22 July

After arriving in Kokoda at 1030pm last night, it was a late and quick dinner at 1145pm and all in bed by midnight. The group were up at 4am this morning for the next stage of their Kokoda journey after spending their first night on the track. They were introduced to their team of porters and guides, the group gathered under the famous Kokoda arches for a photo before setting off on the next leg of their trek at 5:20am.

They walked for an hour, passing the village of Kovelo, then trekked another 30 minutes to take a short break. After a relatively flat 60-minute stretch, they arrived at Hoi for a longer rest. Leaving Hoi, the group tackled the “Deniki Hill” — a climb that left a few wondering what they had signed up for. After a brief recovery, they continued for about 60 minutes with several short climbs, paused at a rest stop, then pushed on for another hour to Isurava village.

At Isurava the group reflected on the campaign’s history before continuing for an hour to the Isurava battle site, where they held a moving service at the monument. They paid their respects to the returned and the fallen and listened to podcasts recounting the sacrifices of men such as Corporal John Metson, Charlie McCallum and Bruce Kingsbury.

Following lunch at the site, they moved on to the “Surgeon’s Stone,” where they heard more incredible stories about Butch Bissett and Dr. Von Con. Luckily for the trekkers it was a nice sunny day and the track was dry! They returned to the track for a relatively easy 60-minute walk into camp for their second night on the track, arriving at 4:30pm.

After lunch they shouldered their packs and headed toward Alola, stopping at Cons Rock along the way for some more history. The track remained in good condition, allowing them to reach camp in good time. Now settled, the team are enjoying an early finish, showering and preparing for dinner.