For three weeks over the school holidays, I had the privilege to attend an Outward Bound School Leaders course. This was an incredible experience and opportunity to meet some amazing people and develop my leadership skills. I spent the three weeks with thirteen other young leaders from around New Zealand and our ‘watch’ was called Blake 700 (after Sir Peter Blake).

It was a very full schedule. Every morning we were up by 6am and if we were in Anakiwa we were running 3 km by 6:30. Other mornings we had to get up so we had enough time to, for example, climb over a thousand meters in a day or kayak down rapids. As a group we overcame many challenges, one being don’t hit wasp nests with a tramping pole! Even when things got hard, like when we rowed for almost 9 hours because there wasn’t enough wind to sail, the group kept morale high and this was when the best conversations and laughs were had. When we decided to sail around Motuara Island and Long Island and still try to make it to Double Bay so we could spend the night asleep on the boat, I had some doubts that we would make it. However, when the wind died an hour later and we had to row into the night, the massive starry sky and bioluminescent-filled water made it all worth it. I believe it was one of the most memorable experiences I’ve had because it taught me that even though something may require a bit of extra effort and teamwork, the journey and end result can provide some of the best views.

Another highlight was the tramping. This was not something I was expecting to enjoy so much but the elation the whole group felt at each of the three peaks we climbed in three days (all over 1300 m high), was worth it. Mt Riley, Mt Sunday, and Mt Baldy all provided extravagant views of Marlborough and Blenheim, with the sunrises and sunsets painting the sky with streaks of pink and orange.

A part of Outward Bound I found challenging was my solo. This is where you spend two nights by yourself in the bush. It is a time for reflection and to take a break from the usual busy routine of OB. I wasn’t as lonely as I thought I would be, however, the hard part was waking up in the dark, under a tarp, completely soaked by the rain on the first night and deciding to sleep in full wet weather gear on the second night. However, the smiles on everyone’s faces when we got back together as a group and everyone else's stories of possums and swimming pools of sleeping bags made it worth it!

One of the main takeaways I had was ‘Blakehood’. It was something that my group created and it meant we took care of each other. It was a symbol of all our combined values and beliefs. Blakehood taught me about the importance of having a strong and positive mindset: you can’t achieve to the level you desire if you have a negative outlook. This is something that I want to try and recreate in other groups, particularly the Environmental Club and our school council team. There is so much that I learnt that I am going to incorporate into my life back here in Wellington and at St Caths! If anyone is keen to have the opportunity to attend an Outward Bound course, please come talk to me or follow this link - https://www.outwardbound.co.nz/!  

Genesis Galuvao

I was fortunate enough to attend the 8-day Outward Bound course and left on Thursday 20th of April and arrived back just last week.The highlight was kayaking and sailing was fun. It was hard and fun and challenging. Met a lot of different people. I would recommend it to others. My Mum did it when she was my age, and she still talks about it so I was keen to attend. The solo was a little boring but nice to be by myself for a whole day.