{"id":3056,"date":"2020-11-27T04:30:24","date_gmt":"2020-11-26T15:30:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eatwhatyoukill.co\/?p=3056"},"modified":"2020-12-17T09:50:23","modified_gmt":"2020-12-16T20:50:23","slug":"pushing-boundaries-on-my-first-hunt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eatwhatyoukill.co\/pushing-boundaries-on-my-first-hunt\/","title":{"rendered":"Pushing boundaries on my first hunt"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I sit here, three days after returning home from Whanganui, slowly making my way through all the photos I took, and realize I am still riding the wave of adrenaline that powered me through the weekend that\u2019s just been. My first hunt.<\/em><\/strong> A weekend that has been years in the making, three days of disconnect from life here in Auckland, three days wandering far from any sight of my once slim comfort zone.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have three years of spearfishing under the belt now with about half of that being spent in some pretty dark places internally, struggling with where I was and what I was doing. I\u2019ve learned that, in my case, swimming towards the unknown has changed me in ways I never imagined it would or could, for the better. I\u2019ve gained confidence and strength, and I\u2019ve learned that even on the hardest days when strength and confidence are absent, I can get by, doing my best, and continuing on the path towards the things that scare and excite me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hunting is my next adventure, my next challenge and yet another opportunity for me to grow. I didn\u2019t know it yet, but this weekend would teach me a lot about what I\u2019m actually capable of in a sense of mental and physical capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day One.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As expected when my alarm went off at 3:20 am Friday Morning I was wide awake, as I had been all night, staring at my phone, anxiously anticipating the days to come. As always with the tone of my alarm, came the urge to shut my eyes for a couple of minutes, but knowing the boys were on the way I jumped out of bed, threw on the clothes I had laid out the night before, and quickly headed for the kettle and coffee awaiting me in the kitchen. I managed to inhale one strong black coffee before I heard the sound of the first car arrive in my driveway, then the second.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I picked up my rifle and the last bits that weren\u2019t already packed in my truck, locked the house up, and headed downstairs to meet Nick, Andrew, and William. Spirits were high and the fatigue I\u2019d been rolling around with since getting up, quickly dissipated. We completed a final check\u2026 gear, guns, bolts, magazines, etc then jumped in my truck and began the journey down to Whanganui.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our first destination was a quick stop, not far from home to meet Kitch (another Andrew) and Will from Adventure Hunting, our guides for the weekend, to pick up a Polaris, and organise some final admin for the trip. From there we convoyed all the way down to Whanganui. The trip is a little hazy due to the constant stream of naps but our weapon of a driver, Andrew, powered through and got us there safely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Upon arrival in Whanganui, we stopped at a local cafe to meet the last member of our crew for the weekend, Fitzy. With the Warfighter Athletic truck joining our convoy, we completed the last leg just around the corner to our base for the weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The old farmhouse sat below a high and wide-spanning hill and while weathered in appearance offered more than enough comfort. In fact, I believe by hunting standards it was somewhat luxurious. We had enough beds and mattresses to set up our sleeping bags on, a fireplace, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a fridge to cool our beers. I have to say I felt a little calmer knowing that we had a roof over our heads and a fire to keep us warm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Whanganui