Year 12 students Harry Palmer and Elise Reid took part on a grueling and uplifting Outward Bound course at the end of last term.

The pair were part of a 14-strong group, called a watch, who each received a scholarship to attend. There were two students from each of the seven schools around the Top of the South.

Each morning of the three-week course started off with a three km run, a cold swim in the ocean and a cold shower outside.  There were daily physical training sessions and multiple outdoor adventures while kayaking, tramping and sailing.

Sometimes things didn't go to plan, such as on one of the tramps in the group's first week.  "It was only a one night tramp but on the second day we got to the ridge on the top of Mt Cullen, which is where we intended to go, and we started coming down but we took the wrong ridge on the way down, so we walked for probably an hour downhill in the wrong direction," Harry said. 

"Our instructor didn’t say anything because we were navigating with a map and compass and then she goes ‘you’ve gone the wrong direction, you have to turn around and go up.”

“Everybody’s got their strong points and for a couple of people, tramping just wasn’t their thing, so having to walk back up the hill that they’d just got to the top of was not a fun realisation,” Elise added.

The sailing trip, where the group independently sailed out to Ship's Cove and the bird sanctuary of Motuara Island, was a highlight for both of them.   They only had two hours of instruction plus an instructor with them for the first couple of hours of the two-night, three-day trip.  Then it was over to them.

Only one of the watch members had sailing experience and he taught everyone else what to do.“Without him, we would’ve been stuffed,” Elise said.

“Three days sounds pretty short but when you’re with 14 other people, crammed in less than ten metres…” Harry continued.

The diverse group bonded over the weeks and it was sad to say goodbye at the end.  They have now made a group chat to continue to help each other stick to the goals they set themselves, such as keeping up running in the morning.

Harry and Elise wholeheartedly recommend going on Outward Bound, no matter what your skill, confidence or fitness level.