I HAVE ALWAYS considered having hairy legs a staunch defence against leeches, but struggling up the muddy track to the top of Mount Gower on Lord Howe Island, I am being proved wrong. Very wrong. They are all over me. No sooner have I got rid of one, than another takes its place.
By the time we reach the mist-clad, 880-metre summit, I have removed more than 20 - pinching them between my fingers.
But it is worth it. As our group of grubby trekkers gather at the top of the mountain, the mist lifts and the entire island is laid out before us - a foam-fringed piece of land in the middle of the Tasman Sea, halfway between Australia and New Zealand.
It boasts deserted beaches, a turquoise lagoon, palm forests and the southernmost coral reef in the world.
Officially part of New South Wales, Lord Howe lies 600km off the coast of mainland Australia, the epitome of a remote, unspoilt sub-tropical island.
The remains of a volcano seven million years old, the island is the ultimate eco-destination, an 11km-long, crescent-shaped adventure playground offering game fishing, diving, kayaking and snorkelling.