Living and working at Outward Bound in Anakiwa is a chance to embrace nature and kaupapa Māori.

Being an Outward Bound instructor isn’t an average day job. It’s not even a day job. It calls for diversity, skills and life experience. 

Kate Gloeggler is one, and her CV is certainly not ‘average’.

Gloeggler studied dance education in Germany, worked as a canoe guide in Canada, at Outward Bound in Germany, and as a dance teacher for youth in Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago. Born in Germany, she first travelled to New Zealand after high school and fell in love with the land, the sea and Māori culture. She has been at Outward Bound NZ for nearly four years, and says living and working at Anakiwa ticks many boxes. “I live among an incredible community of friends and like-minded people. We are all here because our work is so full of purpose; we are following our hearts rather than a career based on monetary values.” 

Gloeggler particularly enjoys  “the integration and appreciation of Māori culture in our daily lives (which) makes this place special”.

Gloeggler’s greatest inspiration, though, comes from the students.

“Outward Bound offers a unique setting for creating connections, where vulnerability becomes a strength, where nurturing and supporting each other isn’t even a question, where little gestures mean the world to people and they learn to communicate with them. The sense of community, connection, humanity and partnership that students create themselves makes me feel hopeful.” 

Gloeggler loves watching different dynamics at play, for example on the ‘Leaps and Bounds’ course for teenagers with their parents or caregivers. “I see the kids fly through the high ropes, fearless and proud, but many of the parents are less confident or even scared. The kids take on the role of supporter: roles flip, and everyone gets to experience how it feels on the other side.

“What’s most important to me is meeting the needs of the students. I want to know their ‘why’ of being here. If they don’t know, it can be miserable for them. But if they have a good reason why they’re cold and wet, they might be less miserable because they understand how it might be helping their personal growth.”

While many people think Outward Bound courses are physical challenges, Gloeggler believes both physical and emotional muscles are being ‘trained’.

“We give people the tools to be able to cope physically and mentally to their own ability. I’m almost certain that no one leaves Outward Bound without having gained a bit of physical muscle plus a bit more mental strength. Not having a phone for days, being in nature, feeling the rain on their face, the ocean on their skin, hearing the birds sing, smelling the  cleanness of the air is all a mental detox.” 

Anakiwa is a beautiful place with te moana (ocean) and te ngahere (forest) all around, she says. So it’s not surprising that a favourite memory reflects a recent connection with nature. 

“One morning, after I’d slept on the launch to be near the students sleeping on the cutter, I woke when it was still dark to sit under the stars with a coffee. The water was sparkling with bioluminescence, and the walk from the jetty onto land was lit by tiny glow worms on the forest wall. Life was lighting up the dark.”