PNG/Aussie Partnership created by two mates
KoTrek is a fresh, energetic PNG owned & operated tour company with expert local knowledge & years of professional experience.
KoTrek was established in 2009 by two friends who both share a passion for adventure, the Kokoda Trail & the raw beauty of PNG. Matt Bollinger an Australian adventure travel enthusiast & repeat trekker of the Kokoda Trail & Rod Ori, a highly experienced & accomplished Kokoda Trail guide, looking to step out on his own & create a Papua New Guinean owned & operated adventure tour company.
Rod Ori
You won’t find a more capable, resourceful & experienced bloke on the Track. Rod has led groups of Australian trekkers along the Track for more than 6 years now, & in that time he has completed more than 65 treks! He’s no worn out has-been either, Rod has also competed in the infamous Kokoda Challenge where he ran the whole track in under 24hrs!!
After many dedicated years of putting in the hard yards & building up his management skills, experience & knowledge of the track Rod has placed himself at the forefront of the “who’s who” in the local trekking guide ranks.
Rod & his young family live in their traditional village, Kovelo, situated in the foothills just outside Kokoda Station… you actually walk past his front yard when on the Kokoda Track.
“I love my job, all the trekkers I’ve met & the many friendships I’ve made over the years. Kokoda is in my blood & this is where my family calls home. After so many years of hard work, I decided it was time for me to step out on my own so I could share with people the real Kokoda experience, my Kokoda.”
Matt Bollinger
After spending the first 12 years of his childhood in PNG, Matt moved with his family to Australia where he Completed High School & University before graduating from the Australian Royal Military College, Duntroon as a Lieutenant in the Australian Army Reserve.
His passion for travel & adventure has led him all over the world; living, working & visiting many countries throughout the Pacific, Asia, Europe & the Americas… but there’s no escaping his roots as he keeps on coming back to PNG… & the Kokoda Trail. Matt is fluent in the local language (tok pisin) & has a great love & respect for the people & traditional cultures of PNG. Matt now lives in Sydney, where he has set up KoTrek’s Australian HQ.
Matt has trekked Kokoda several times now & followed various trekking routes & schedules, trekking from both directions & ranging from a 10 day trek with his father to a 45 hour trek he did on his own in 2008 with the help of his close friend & now valued senior KoTrek guide Mr Andrew Yauga.
He is also a PADI Dive Master, photography enthusiast & keen adventure racer so any post-trek activities in PNG are only limited by your imagination!
