Outward Bound is often referred to as a place where people’s lives are shaped and transformed, and it certainly rings true for Gisborne couple Lanie and Boyd Wilton. They met when they were both on a “Discovery" professional course in Anakiwa back in 2010 — and as the saying goes, the rest is history.
At the time, Lanie was a 27-year-old volunteer firefighter living in Palmerston North; Boyd a 46-year-old operations manager living in Gisborne. Both attended Outward Bound for personal development, seeking a space where each could undertake a “life review”. They ended up in the same McKenzie watch, but it was “all business”, Boyd says.
“There was a spark but it wasn’t a romantic spark. It was a mutual admiration and a deep respect between us which developed throughout our time away.”
At the end of the course, Lanie and Boyd picked each other as mentors and stayed in touch, along with others from the watch, catching up regularly to run marathons and adventure races.
“I got to know Boyd really well at Outward Bound,” says Lanie. “Six months after the course finished, our friendship developed into a relationship and a year later, I moved to Gisborne to be with him.”