Testimonials

To Wayne once again mate 10/10 experience..
The kind of stuff most people could only dream of and you made it a reality..

Cheers, Andrew Maguire

Thanks Wayne  safe travels to Everest mate, thanks again for everything, what a cracking trek we’ve all had.

Corey Dunn

Thanks for everything Wayne, you’re a legend mate, what a trek, extraordinary, safe travels my friend!!!!

Brendan Dooley

I don’t have the words Wayne. So grateful and thankful for what you pulled together. Take care until next time mate! 💙

Jarrod O’ Doherty

Sad it’s all coming to an end Wayne thanks for your guidance and giving us memories that we will never forget. Enjoy the mountain my mate.

Danny Buderus

Thanks Wayne it’s been an absolutly life changing experience and one amazing adventure
Safe travels

Frank Lawler

Thanks so much Wayne, it was a pleasure to meet you . The trip you organised was first class and your knowledge of the history is next level
Thanks buddy ❤️❤️👍

Darren Sogs

Wayne , you put on one hell of a show mate, you create experiences that others don’t that make these adventures so amazing. This was a belter, none of us will ever forget 🙏 Go take on the great mountain mate.

Mark Hughes

Wayne, Thanks for another memorable trip I’ll never forget mate. Safe travels to Nepal ❤️🙏🏾

Matt Kelso

Wayne another epic adventure in the bag, you keep producing mate.

Darren Forward

Thanks Wayne for an extraordinary adventure and for keeping us healthy and safe. Great work!

Thanks again!
Tony Price

What an amazing experience with my best mates, the whole experience was first class. The knowledge and passion Wayne Wetherall has is a testament to the experience we had. The porters and guides we had made for a great trek, and I would recommend to anyone who wants to complete this once in a lifetime experience.

Cheers, James Smith

We did the trek in July – August 2024. Wayne Wetherall and his team were nothing but professional the whole time, even in the months leading up to the trek to make sure we were well prepared.

The communication was always excellent, and we were always in safe hands. The team’s intimate knowledge of the track, both in terms of WWII history, villages, and geography, together with their great relationships with the PNG locals, made for a fun and unforgettable trip! The food was great as well.

Clear industry leaders! I can’t recommend Kokoda Spirit highly enough!

Regards, Dave Read

🌟 A Heartfelt Thank You to Kokoda Spirit & Wayne Wetherall 🌟

We are beyond grateful to Kokoda Spirit and Wayne Wetherill for their incredible generosity in making our fundraising trek along the Kokoda Track such a success! Your unwavering support has made a lasting impact on the Zero 79 Foundation, and we couldn’t have done it without you.

To all the participants who took on the challenge and connected deeply with the Anzac Spirit—you are truly inspiring! Walking the Kokoda Track was an unforgettable journey filled with camaraderie, perseverance, and reflection. Each step you took not only honored history but also brought us closer to achieving our mission.

We’d also like to extend a special thank you to everyone who donated and supported each participant’s fundraising efforts. Your generosity is helping us make real change in the communities we serve. 💙

Together, we’re walking towards a brighter, more empowered future! 🙌

#Zero79Foundation
#KokodaSpirit
#WayneWetherall
#AnzacSpirit
#Community

This trip was amazing in so many ways I never expected. I expected to be sore, wet, muddy, exhausted and lucky if I managed to get through without injury or infection of some description. In fact, we were so well looked after by our porters and our experienced guides that for the most part our shoes stayed relatively dry, risk of infection and injury was minimal, we were all prepared well enough thanks to the good advice leading into the trip and the trek master set a pace that ensured we all made it to the other end united and invigorated by the challenge. The memorial services and stories from the war were extremely well done – very moving and meaningful and the songs from our own Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels (porters and guides) that marked each significant summit, milestone and memorial will stay with me forever. Thanks to Wayne Wetherall & Kokoda Spirit for the adventure of a lifetime!!!

Hayley Webster

Hi Wayne , we had a fabulous experience which was due to the very well organise crew and Kevin who was extremely knowledgeable and regularly showed passion for the soldiers and the history of Kokoda. I have already recommended Wayne Wetherall & Kokoda Spirit to anyone that wants a truly wonderful experience.

Fred Rasheed

Dear Wayne,

Rita here, a participant in the 7-15 July Kokoda Trek. I wanted to express my heartfelt gratitude to you and your company for an truly unforgettable experience. I’m still buzzing from the adventure!

I also wanted to share our group’s thank you speech to Jack, which I’ve included below. It captures our collective appreciation for his exceptional leadership and guidance throughout the trek. We’re all in agreement that Jack made our journey truly special.

Please feel free to share this with Kokoda Spirit or use it to support Jack in any way possible. If you need any further testimonials or reviews, I’m confident that every member of our group would be more than happy to contribute, thank you Wayne Wetherall & Kokoda Spirit.

Warm regards,

Rita

Anikiu beluga (Menari for thank you very much), Jack

Jack, on behalf of our little, lovely group, I would like to express a heartfelt thank you for leading us.

I have been fortunate to have met a few good leaders and lots of good men, but you are both an exceptional leader and a great man. You are so young to have already accomplished so much. However, it is not your accomplishments that make you great, it is because you are a man of grace.

Jack, you serve with humility and thoughtfulness and strength and intelligence. You are wise beyond your years, kind, fun and to top it all off good looking. Some might say well engineered and not a caraway seed in sight:) I know I speak for everyone when I say that we are now better humans to have completed this journey with you.

So, please keep doing what you do to serve others at work, on these journeys in your community, but most importantly, at home.

Charlie is a very lucky pikinini to have you as his dad. We wish you and Claire all the joys and the challenges that being a parent will bring. I think you already understand that it is only when we experience challenges, hardship and difficulty that you can actually appreciate true joy, love and peace. For me this journey, those diggers we walked with and their fuzzy wuzzy angels (whose descendants helped us walk on and on these last 8 days), was a reminder of just that: Joy. Love. Peace. This experience has been life changing in the most wonderful way.

Please send us photos of Charlie, Claire and yourself, and please stay in touch. I have a feeling you will continue to make us proud to call you a friend.

Jack, thank you, thank you, thank you.

And to everyone in our lovely little group, I am utterly inspired by your stories and your courage, endurance, mateship, sacrifice. Please let’s remain within reach of each other. Anikiu beluga, arrivederci and… the only way is up!

“I cannot express enough how grateful I am to Wayne Wetherall & the Kokoda Spirit Team as the Kokoda Trek was something very special and has had a big impact on each and every one of my 4 sons and I. The quite moving stories of the Diggers and to hear and see what they faced, through to the generous and welcoming mindset of every person we interacted with – the Porters, the local villages and of course all who were participating with us. I am delighted to act as referral and have already started to provide friends and colleagues with details.

Thank you once again Lyn as all your guidance and advice leading up to the Trek itself made such a big difference – THANK YOU.”

Best regards

Peter

Peter L. O’Brien

To Wayne Wetherall & Kokoda Spirit, your group of people have made my trek with you something that I will hold onto and cherish for ever! Right from the first day of registration and payment of the deposit things could not have gone more smoothly. Our guide [Craig] was very informed on the military tactics side of things, just what I was hoping for. VERY educational. We were blessed with a very small group and perfect weather. Trekking pace was varied to suit the condition of the slowest trekker, but we always got into camp at a very respectable time to set up and rest for the next day. Food was ideal for the job at hand, we were even treated to special offerings along the way, donuts ,banana cake, and spaghetti bog. The whole thing was very professional, educational, and enjoyable I cant recommend “Kokoda Spirit” more highly.

David Denton [trek dates oct 2 to oct 11 2018]

Hi there,

I am currently on the flight back home to Australia from PNG after hiking the Kokoda trail with Wayne Wetherall & Kokoda Spirit. I was a teacher with the Anglican school group.

I wanted to send an email highlighting how impressed I was with how smoothly the trek ran. I truely believe that comes down to the trek master, Eddie Jnr and the Buna boys.
Eddie was absolutely amazing. Each day was well organised and the trip as a whole completely exceeded my expectations. I don’t believe I would have had the same wonderful experience had we’d been given a different Trek Master and porters.

Eddie and the Buna boys were so efficient, hard working, professional and most importantly friendly. They spent time getting to know us and as a result many wonderful friendships were formed and many jokes were shared, which made the experience truely unforgettable. We walked past many other companies while trekking and it didn’t appear like other trekkers had the same relationships with their porters. I feel so very grateful. Each day they woke up with a heap of energy and enthusiasm and sang their way through the trek.

My personal porter, Nigel, really went above and beyond. He never left my side the entire trip and really was a Guardian angel. I don’t think I could have finished it without him.

I wanted to send this email as I believe it’s important that Eddie and the boys get the recognition they deserve. It is because of them that I can’t wait to do it all again with Kokoda Spirit, and I will definitely be requesting them!!!! You’ve got a great bunch there.

Kind Regards,

Morgan Critchley

Hey Wayne Wetherall & Kokoda Spirit Team

Since we didn’t really get to say it at Brisbane, thank you so much for the trip!! I had the best time learning about not only the track, but the history of it. It has been the best experience I have had so far and it’s all a credit to you!

Kind regards,

Jack Clarkson (Brighton Grammar student)

Dear Wayne,

Thank you for the email

I had just sat myself down at the computer to send you an email as your email arrived!

What a fabulous experience I had on the walk.
The Trail was a huge challenge for me and I really questioned my ability to complete the walk from Day 1.

I wanted to write to your company to acknowledge the wonderful staff of our PNG led crew who were wholly responsible for getting me to Kokoda and day 8!

Ruben, John, Max and Mr Bug…. what amazing people you have working for you.
The professionalism, care and compassion of these men, and the entire crew of porters, was exceptional.

I was ready to be Helicoptered out by the end of day 2! however John, the calm presence, kept me going and got my mind into the right state where I started to believe I could make it to the end.
It was slow going for me because I found the “Downs” very hard. Confidence was in hindsight probably my biggest barrier ( what I thought I couldn’t do and what I actually could do) John and Ruben never rushed me or made
me feel I was slow, even though I was a good hour to hour and a half behind my little group coming into camp. The concept of “Julie time” became ours, and when the terrain got particularly bad the other guys would appear from
nowhere and get me through. As John predicted by day 4 I found my Trekkers feet and settled into a wonderful experience of the Trail, the villages and the beautiful people, the awesome vistas as we topped an ascent.
I thoroughly enjoyed the PNG peoples view of history of the trail, as I have read extensively about the Kokoda campaign before taking the trek and continue to read more now I am home ( currently reading The Bone Man of Kokoda about
Kokichi Nishimura ) and feel It offered a balanced experience from all sides of the conflict. The respect of the trail is evident in all the porters and villagers and the privilege of walking the trail was deeply moving.
The sense of achievement on day 8 coming into Kokoda was an awesome feeling.

So I guess I wanted to write to you, so you could pass on my thanks to the crew:
for getting me there! for looking after us so beautifully! and for taking such pride in their work!

My Husband and I will be recommending Wayne Wetherall & Kokoda Spirit to everyone and anyone, and who knows we may get back and do it again…..mmm maybe not this year tho ha ha.

Regards,

Julie Renehan

Wayne Wetherall & Kokoda Spirit Team – great job, thank you.

Immaculate organisation throughout, well done.

Special shout-out to Greg Chamberlin and his commitment to the walkers’ experience – he had a couple of big tumbles, is there a plan B if the guide goes down?

The porters were amazing. My porter, Neville, was great, it was his first Kokoda run. If you could get him my email address that would be great – I realise it might not be easy.

Lastly, Bart Emmerton has put a good film together of our journey – thought you might be interested – the drone footage of the campsites is amazing.

Mr Ryan described his experience as life-changing.

‘‘I’ve come home with so much gratitude and a real appreciation of how lucky we are to live in Australia and how often I take it for granted,’’ he said.

‘‘I don’t think a lot of people my age realise how close the war came to Australia.

‘‘I’m embarrassed to say I didn’t know that much about it before I went over there. I knew it was important, but I wasn’t aware of the actual battles.

‘‘I now have a much better understanding of what the Aussie soldiers did.’’

Mr Ryan said learning about the Battle for Brigade Hill hit home the hardest.

The battle was fought during three days in 1942 and was an unmitigated disaster for Australia’s Maroubra Force.

‘‘The Japanese advanced on the Australians and they had to retreat to get back to a better position,’’ Mr Ryan said.

‘‘The problem was, they ran out of ammunition. So some of the guys took off their dog tags, gave them to their friends, and volunteered to charge the enemy with bayonets.

‘‘These were men my age and younger. They hadn’t even lived yet.

‘‘They knew they were going to die. But they did it anyway so their mates could get away.’’

Mr Ryan said the concept of mateship was constantly reinforced on the track.

‘‘I had never met the people in my group, but it didn’t take long for us to grow close,’’ he said.

‘‘The trail brings mateship out in people, because it is so hard.

‘‘You want to help out the people in front of you and the people behind you, because although you’re doing it tough, you’re in it together.’’

‘‘The Australian soldiers could not have done what they did without the people of Papua New Guinea and neither could we”
Kieran Ryan

Having recently completed my trek and I just like to officially thank everyone involved during my 11 days in PNG, and Lyn and Julie for their help and encouragement in the months prior to heading out.

It was life changing to say the least for me.

I have made new friends for life, we have a bond no one can ever understand until they trek Kokoda themselves.

Our Guide John Titmus is an absolute gem of a human being. As an ex-serviceman myself, I commended him personally for his historical military knowledge. For someone who hasn’t worn the uniform, he may as well have.

He included us all in the memorial services we held along the track, but he also included me on many occasions to explain things from my military service, certain aspects of army life, expectations, my experiences in jungle training.

I was asked to read The Ode 3 times, at Kokoda, at Isurava & at Bomana. I could hardly recite it as I was so emotional on each occasion, so honoured to honour the fallen in that way. To Johnny, I will be ever grateful for that honour as an ex NZDF serviceman, the descendant of real ANZACs who served in France and Gallipolli and WW2.

I have been lucky to have 4 days off work upon my return, it will be hard getting back to work after this amazing period in my life.

Thanks again to you all, especially Wayne Wetherall for making ANZAC day 2018 at Isurava so special for our entire team, including our porters. God bless you all for the great jobs you all do.

P.S I will be back to trek PNG again with Kokoda Spirit, the Black Cat track seems like another fascinating piece of our history that also needs to be experienced.

Kindest Regards

Dave Owen (Davey, Davo).

Good morning Julie and Wayne,

I would like to pass on my huge thanks to the organising team of Kokoda Spirit but especially to our guide Steve Mackie for an awesome Kokoda experience! Walking the Kokoda Track was an incredible journey and I felt honoured to be there. We had a wonderful group – we connected very quickly, maybe because we all had a common thread – raising awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s Australia.

Our guide Steve was fantastic – he was so thoughtful, considerate, observant, experienced, knowledgeable, intelligent, respectful and fun. Steve has a wonderful gift of being able to connect with total strangers and bring them together to work (and walk) harmoniously. He is a great story teller and historian – he shared his deep knowledge of the Kokoda, which added to the experience. I enjoyed our daily high and low discussions. Steve was very attentive when fellow trekker Marie was unwell on the second day. He was also aware when the porters had sores on their feet and attended to their cuts/abrasions – I was able to assist him being a registered nurse and felt privileged to do so.

The local porters did an amazing job – never once did I feel hungry – the food was plentiful including donuts, pikelets and pizza! They were incredibly attentive to each trekker and did everything to ensure our safety and enjoyment.

I am still absorbing the whole experience and feel very proud of my achievements.

If I ever have another opportunity to do Kokoda again, I will definitely grab it. It was AWESOME! (I am thinking of exploring voluntary avenues utilising my nursing skills in some capacity).

Thank you for this amazing experience/journey.

Regards,

Sarah Pettenon

Good Morning All, Firstly may I say a huge thank you to one and all for such an amazing business and the opportunity to walk the Kokoda Track with a man who is as passionate about it now as he was when he first started many years ago. Wayne, you are an inspiration and I thank you for what you do. Melissa, well what can I say…. she was outstanding, what an incredibly strong woman, physically, mentally and emotionally, we all had the best time ever. Lots of photos and even more memories to be cherished forever. To the porters a massive thanks particularly Eddie and Russell who had to follow me up and down the mountains and across the waterways, sorry it wasn’t someone younger fellas, but I will be forever grateful for the music you provided along the way it certainly helped me to keep going.

It was the most gratifying experience ever and I am proud to say I have followed in the footsteps of our courageous soldiers albeit in considerably more comfort. Oops forgot to mention the meals/snacks we consumed along the way, how incredible were they. To create cakes, donuts, pizzas in the middle of nowhere with just a few pots and an open log fire, oh my god. The evening meals were always delicious and plenty to go around. The entertainment by the porters was also very enjoyable.

A million thanks to all

Best wishes

Rhonda Donaldson

Well what can I say, but THANK YOU!

I am now finally coming back down to earth and to be honest, a little sad that the adventure is all over after the months of prep I had.

I could not have asked for a truly greater experience. The entire tour, from beginning to end was an unforgettable, emotional experience.

Bill Kelly. What an absolute asset to Kokoda Spirit. Bill quite simply, made the trip. His knowledge was faultless, care for all was impeccable and ‘groove’ for life, inspiring.

With Bill’s help, the group connected on many levels and this of course made it all the more easy for those travelling alone and to of course help with team moral along the way.

The laughs and tears, that were had along the way, were one for a lifetime memory.

I would, without a question of doubt, recommend Kokoda Spirit to anyone who will listen. And I am telling my story to many!

Regards,

Jacqueline Pidd
19-27 August

Dear Wayne and the Kokoda Spirit Team,

Walking the track in June with Peter Sergent was an amazing experience. I was walking with two friends to raise money and awareness for an extremely rare and debilitating disease called PSP that my father developed. Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) is similar to Motor Neurons and Parkinson’s Disease. It is robbing my father of the ability to walk, talk and function normally and eventually it will kill him. We managed to raise a massive $17560 for PSP Australia (Parkinson’s Victoria) and I am so proud to have walked the track for this cause.

Our trek was lead by a group of local boys, Sai, Frank and their team, who though they didn’t say much, were so very caring and helpful. My personal porter Lei Lei really had his work cut out as I am very clumsy to begin with, so when meandering over tree roots and up rock faces he proved his weight in gold. The boys singing, lead by Jimmy, was so beautiful and often was just enough encouragement to make that last climb before we stopped for a break.

Acclimatising to the PNG way of life took some adjustment, and the toilets made us laugh as we quickly learnt to stuff our nostrils with toilet paper before entering. Even with mud soaked legs and aching muscles I loved every minute of it. I will never forget the experience and will cherish it forever.

Thank you,

Sarah Lenane

EXCITEMENT is building in Kaitlyn Pobar’s Mudjimba home for what is expected to be an emotional trek honouring her late father.

emotional-trek

Mrs Pobar and her husband David are three weeks away from landing in a former war zone famed for a muddy, dangerous track which weaves across it.
Her decision to walk the Kokoda Track came a few weeks after her father, former Sunshine Coast police officer Detective Senior Constable Russell Sheehan, took his own life.
She is now a board member for police mental health support charity Blue Hope.

On top of this spirit, I had to abide by a GF diet on the trip. The amount of effort the boys went to ensuring I had a GF diet every single meal blew me away. Each and every meal was absolutely amazing, tasteful and GF. I could not be more thankful!

Since returning home, I have missed the Treck more and more every single day, and especially missed the whole entire team. I cannot express my thanks more to the kokoda spirit team, especially to Frank and his team of mighty porters. I have recommended the company to all friends and family and will be sure to stick to the spirit for future trecks.