Marcus and son Samuel Gower with Warwick and Cam Emmett got the opportunity to do the Outward Bound Leaps and Bounds eight day course through a generous scholarship from Outward Bound Trust and the Te Awamutu Boxing Academy. Marcus, a Waipā District councillor, reports.
The Ocean Swim
Outward Bound was an amazing opportunity to experience things that you normally wouldn’t get a chance to do. You are pushed outside your comfort zone into the learning zone and learn skills and gain insight. Not to mention doing this all in the beautiful surroundings of the Queen Charlotte sounds.
We really enjoyed our time at Outward Bound our group/watch had some great people in it and we bonded well. The course was an amazing opportunity to experience things as a father and son and learn about ourselves and each other. As Dads we really appreciated the focused time spent with our teenagers and seeing them learn and grow throughout the week.
We sailed, rowed for the first day, staying on the cutter over night, we experienced the bio luminance which made the water light up when we splashed it.
We also rock climbed, sea kayaked, back flipped, did team building skills and games, learning to light a fire, slept in a bunk room with 10 others.
It was up for PT at 6:20am, followed by a refreshing dip in the sounds. They kept us busy all day, the food was great and there was plenty of it to keep us fuelled for all the adventures.
Cam found the coasteering on a cold wet day challenging yet really enjoyable. Coasteering involved making your way around a section of coast, on foot and by water. The instructors were well prepared with hot raro to help keep us warm.
“The kayak skills training was my favourite activity,” said Cam. “It’s something I would like to do more of in the future”
Samuel found the solo camping experience to be enlightening because it was 48 hours spent out in the bush reflecting and getting saturated.
We were given a ground sheet, tarp and a bucket and sent out to defend ourselves amongst the possums, pigs and weka. Sam learnt a valuable lesson on thieving weka and came back minus a beanie. It was torrential rain on the second night and everything and everyone was soaked, the longest night ever.
We would recommend an Outward Bound course for anyone who enjoys the outdoors and new challenges. It will help you grow and learn physically and mentally to be a better person.
Marcus Gower
