AdventureWorks Taster Day

Rob is the outdoor legend leading the diploma program. Rob grew up in London, UK, surrounded by city life, but he always loved being outdoors. He started with mountain biking, racing at a national level and water based activities on the river Thames, but moving to the rugged west coast of Wales sparked his interest in a variety of outdoor activities. Rob studied Outdoor Adventure Management in Ireland and over the last 25 years has traveled extensively, teaching, guiding and coaching an array of outdoor activities, from boats and bikes, to bush and mountains.

Twelve years ago, Rob and his wife travelled to New Zealand for a short holiday, but after falling in love with the stunning landscapes and adventures available, they decided to stay. Since then, Rob has worked with innumerable schools, community groups and universities, passionately promoting Outdoor Education and making sure that everyone, not just the few, can enjoy and benefit from these experiences.

Training in the outdoor education sector has given me the opportunity and skills to work in many countries in different roles. With 15 years of experience, and with a passion for the outdoors I am privileged to be able to work in the area that I love. Sharing my passion with people becomes effortless. In my role as a Tertiary tutor, I am thrilled to be able to pass on my knowledge to the future generations of instructors and kaitiaki. 

In 2015 while teaching my kids to surf I fell off a surfboard into shallow water and received a spinal cord injury. My experience of facing and overcoming obstacles, letting go of attachments to ideas of who I thought I needed to be to be loved and appreciated by others, letting go of dreams and re-creating a whole new sense of meaning and purpose in my life is now part of the story of AdventureWorks. I’ve always found the most meaning and purpose and satisfaction in my life when helping other people connect and discover themselves in more healthy and fulfilling ways. This business is my mechanism for living this purpose. Before the injury I was an active adventurer including alpine climbing, rock climbing, kayaking, adventure racing and multi day hikes, I have been teacher in charge of an Outdoor Education programme in a  secondary school  and trained and worked as a counsellor.  It has been a steep but satisfying learning curve going from a teacher of 9 years to a small business owner to learning how to live as a quadriplegic. But there is no such thing as an easy life. Either we are actively working on the edges of ourselves and continually and intentionally act towards meaningful and purposeful living or we are going backwards.