Kathy Ombler’s Outward Bound class of 1975 – the author is third from right in the bottom row

Finding strength in the wilderness

Features, Outdoor education

A long-time Wilderness contributor and freelance author, Kathy writes about outdoor recreation, natural history and conservation.

By Kathy Ombler

Outward Bound is celebrating its sixtieth year in New Zealand. In March, 48 years after completing a standard 23-day course, Wilderness reporter Kathy Ombler returned to see how things have changed.

It’s after dark in Torea Bay. We are relaxing on the lawn outside Outward Bound’s Te Kainga cottage, where we are staying overnight. Or not, as it turns out. “Tonight, you will sleep on the cutter,” says instructor Kate Gloeggler. “First, you will need to row it out to the buoy. We will give you […]

About the author

Kathy Ombler

Freelance author Kathy Ombler mostly writes about outdoor recreation, natural history and conservation, and has contributed to Wilderness for many years. She has also written and edited for other publications and websites, most recently Federated Mountain Club’s Backcountry, Forest & Bird, and the Backcountry Trust. Books she has authored include Where to Watch Birds in New Zealand, Walking Wellington and New Zealand National Parks and Other Wild Places. She is currently a trustee for Wellington’s Ōtari-Wilton’s Bush Trust.