I swapped my phone and social media for 21 days with 13 strangers getting lost in the bush, rowing for hours in the hot sun, then again under the stars, running up hills and kayaking down river rapids. With my watch group Cobham 646 by my side we laughed till we cried and cried till we laughed. Outward bound Anakiwa is one of the biggest accomplishments of my life so far.

Many moments during the Mind Body Soul course will forever be treasured. Kayaking down the pristine waters of the Pelorus River, surrounded by nothing but purity, so pure we were able to drink straight from the river. We sailed out to the edges of the Cook Strait on this beautiful sunny day followed by rowing (accompanied by a lot of singing) under the stars till midnight.

I faced and accomplished challenges that I never thought I was capable of. I climbed up a rock face one handed; a challenge my instructors set for me as they knew I was comfortable with heights. I ran a half marathon (21km), knowing that a 4km run for PE was the longest I have ever run. Our instructors always made sure we pushed ourselves as far as we could, growing every step of the way.

Overall Outward Bound was the ultimate trip of a lifetime, one that I will forever hold close to my heart. It made me push myself to limits I never believed possible. I am so grateful to be able to share some of my many stories. Words will never quite describe my experience; instead I put together my GoPro footage and made a YouTube video of my 3 weeks in 3 minutes.