Farewell from Hawaii!
June 21, 2024
One final Aloha from the Hawaiian Islands all-girls trip! We have tied up this trip with a stellar last four days packed with dives galore! Having finished up training in the pools, our group of girls graduated to dive off shore where we began to truly explore the outskirts of the Big Island. We trudged through beachgoers and snorkelers to complete some more PADI drills and meander through the corals below.
We maintained this eager exploration inland as we transitioned to explore the local shops. Emerson and Helen stumbled into one boutique full of bracelets; Maddie and Ayden were set on finding gifts for the family, while Ava and Missy walked away with the classic dashboard hula dancers. Our day concluded with a long drive back to camp, where the girls prepped a meal of Mac and cheese and BBQ chicken sliders on the Coleman. Maddie prepared the mac and cheese with Missy, while Virginia and Lauren diced up and sauced the chicken. A hearty meal is necessary to prepare us for the long day ahead!
The following day was spent with the Jack Diving Locker boat and crew as we set out early in the morning for our first dive off the bay. Unfortunately unable to equalize to the pressure, Emerson and Ava took to relaxing on the boat and snorkeling while the rest of the group quickly acclimated to the new environment and took to open water diving with ease. Divemaster Brad led ‘Team Piranha Sharks’ to uncover the creatures of the corals while ‘Team Mermaid’ of Palmer, Lauren, and Helen were quick to spot a 12′ shark on the first dive!
With two dives under our belts, we disembarked the boat to venture back to our beloved gelato shop in preparation for the manta ray activities ahead. With bellies full of sweet cream our girls switched into their snorkel gear and dove into the dusk waters, while MG, Palmer, and Maggie stepped up to dive with the large creatures. Our two teams of snorkelers and divers witnessed an incredible display of acrobatics as hundreds of 7′ manta rays flipped through the waters to feed. Our snorkelers gripped a paddle board and chatted through the views. Helen, Lily Ruth, Emerson, and Lauren kept giggling and screaming through the display, as the mantas kept coming closer and closer to our faces! Ayden and Ava kept their cool, as the massive mantas skimmed our knees. Another 60′ below, MG, Palmer, and Maggie had a different perspective of the spectacle. The trio had the opportunity to watch the mantas from below in an artificially lit area of the ocean. A ring of divers circled below a cloud of mantas, and our girls got us to pats on their heads from the creatures as they circled above. The entire night was filled with awe and laughter and it truly will be a night these girls will never forget!
After an exhausting 4 days of scuba diving these girls had some well-earned rest. We kicked off the morning hitting up a local coffee shop before heading to the beach. We all swam in the ocean and Emerson and Helen loved soaking up the sun’s rays! Lying on the beach talking about all the funny stories from the past 2 weeks, we all began to get sad that it was our last full day together. But it wasn’t over just yet! That night we headed to the East side of the island for a cooking class! We worked on our chopping skills and prepared a delicious Beef Stew! Helen even truly enjoyed her first salad! We got a tour of the gardens and saw some fresh fruit trees and cows. Ayden utilized her height to grab a tangerine for us from the tree and Lily Ruth was ecstatic to have some more lychee that we were first introduced to at the National Botanical Gardens! For dessert, we had a pineapple and banana cobbler that was delicious!! We all enjoyed our meal at a gorgeous long table together for our last night, bittersweet.
Last day 🙁 We woke up bright and early and got to work cleaning up camp and taking down our tents. After all of our hard work, we headed into town and stopped at a pastry shop for breakfast and a beach park to take in the last of all of Hawaii’s beauty! To prepare for our banquet lunch we stopped at a thrift shop to pick out the nicest attire we could find. Lily Ruth looked stunning in her veil and Emerson looked like a child at Disney World with her Mickey Mouse ears and Disney dress. We enjoyed one last meal together before doing our final Moonup and heading to the airport. We shed a few tears and said all of our goodbyes before the girls walked through security! We love each and every one of them so much, and we have had the best time getting to know them these past 2 weeks! Ahhh we miss them so much already but are so lucky to have had the best 2 weeks ever!! Hawaii 1D over and out
Hugs and Kisses,
Maggie and Missy
Checking in From the Garden State
June 17, 2024
Wow, what a day! Everyone absolutely crushed the Na Pali coast hike. I’m not going to say that it was easy, but the girls took on the challenge! The hike consisted of 3.75 miles down into the trees, eventually making our way to the top of the canyon. This hike is a little different than most, in the way that first you hike downhill then you turn around and hike back up the canyon. This can be a mental challenge hiking down the incline that you know you’re about to turn around and hike up, but this did not stop the girls. Down in the canyon, we took a break for lunch overlooking the deep blue water with bright orange clay below our feet. You couldn’t even distinguish where the ocean turns into the sky due to the mix of floating white clouds in every shade of blue you could imagine all mixed together. It is almost indescribable, but the orange and blue landscape was gorgeous. Virginia helped the group keep moral high with her fun spirit and Maggie, Ava, Maddie, and Ayden chatted about their beige flags in the caboose. Ending the hike feeling accomplished and proud (I hope they are as proud of themselves as we are of them!), we stopped for a shaved ice sweet treat on the way back to our campsite. We all walked around the small market and chatted as we enjoyed shaved ice before heading home to cook dinner. After a yummy dinner of tacos and quesadillas, we all worked together to clean up camp and prepare for our travel day the next day. Just as we were getting ready for Moonup, Missy whipped out some surprise s’mores, because who doesn’t have room for dessert?!
With all of our hard work the night before, travel day was a breeze! As we waited in the Kaua’i airport, Emerson and Helen snagged some much overdue Starbucks, Ayden and Maddie adopted a small stuffed rooster, while MG and Lauren found matching bedazzled keychains to commemorate their newfound friendship. A hop, skip, and a jump and we were on the Big Island of Hawaii. We made our way to camp and got settled into our tents. Here, we are nestled in a secluded pasture surrounded by tree groves, horses, and the stars above. After raving about breakfast food all day, we were all so excited to make breakfast for dinner as our first meal on the Big Island! M&M pancakes and eggs are most definitely the way to our hearts. We ended the night with a game of 3 on the bus before getting some rest for our first day of scuba diving!! Lily and Virginia spent their first night truly under stars as they slept in their eno hammocks for the first time peacefully through the night.
Here on a newer and bigger island, what better way to explore it than to dive into its depths? We start diving school slow and steady as we adjust from the travel and the demands of the dive! Without skipping a beat, Virginia and Lauren eagerly threw their gear on and jumped in! We wadded in the water, bobbing through drills until we all felt confident in the procedures. MG and Helen felt comfortable enough to play with toy torpedoes at the bottom of the pool while Maddie honed her skills towards heroically fighting off sharks. After a long day of training dives in the pool, everyone was able to equalize successfully. And there’s nothing like ending a long dive session with a cup of gelato!
Our day ended with a surprise sunset on the dormant volcano Mauna Kea! After traveling through hardened lava fields and with concerns of fog blocking the views, our van eventually rose over the clouds and revealed the magnificent panoramic views around us. Emerson and Helen ran in the mountain, eager to capture the stunning moments while Ava and Palmer trailed behind carting four boxes of pizza to top off the evening! After delivering the food, Palmer immediately pivoted into professional photographer, while Lily lead everyone through headshot poses. With bellies and hearts full, we drove down the mountain listening to Noah Kahan while the girls took peaceful naps back to camp.
Our second day we woke up to freshly scrambled eggs and avocado toast to set up our second day of pool dives for success. With a shorter day of dives ahead of us, we all jumped in to get the party started. With everyone completing various drills, we passed through the requirements with flying colors. After a lunch of turkey sandwiches, we all headed back down to the gelato shop for another bite of sweetness before our next activity- a stop to one of the famous black sand beaches! We found that black sand holds onto heat much more efficiently than the white sands of 30A, but that didn’t stop Emerson, Helen, and Lily from laying out to take in the rays. Ava and Missy floated in the bay’s calm waters admiring the igneous rocks that had formed the small beach, followed by the two sleeping peacefully in the shade of a tree despite Maggie trying to prank her co-leader with some found sea life.
After some vitamin D time, the girls hopped back into the van and headed to camp with excitement for a warm shower. Maggie and Missy prepped a hearty dinner of hot dogs and Annie’s mac and Cheese for everyone. With girls grabbing their second dogs, Emerson led everyone to the pasture and horses nearby to admire the sunset. Missy stayed behind for a much deserved shower, and Maggie went right into making a dessert of sugar-grilled pineapples topped with Nutella. As we devoured the sweet treat, the girls snuggled up in eno hammocks to end the early night with Moonup, and we were all in bed by 9:30. With a close to our last day of pool dives, the girls slept soundly while visions of ocean divers danced in their heads. Sad to say that the next time we will be reporting back will be when everyone is on the plane heading home, but we are so excited for our first dive in the ocean tomorrow and these last few days together!!
Maggie and Missy
Aloha from Hawaii
June 13, 2024
Aloha from the garden island of Kauai!! It is crazy how we have accomplished so much in these past few days with such a fun group of girls! We had a great first night in Hawaii, welcoming everyone with a pizza party by the beach and then getting some rest before our big kayaking adventure. For some, this was their first time sleeping in a tent, and what an awesome first camping experience to sleep beach side under the Polynesian stars! Mary Grace and Palmer started us off strong as the group’s first Leaders of the Day (LODs) with their cheerful outgoing spirits to carry the group through our first full day together. In boats of two, we put our strength to the test and paddled along the Na Pali coast soaking in all its beauty. We had some big waves at the beach take off that everyone tackled with a smile, setting great vibes for the rest of the day. As we paddled along, our three wonderful kayaking guides shared with us their stories of living in Hawaii and the history of the Na Pali coast with luscious green jagged mountains running along the shoreline. After not even 30 minutes of kayaking, we came across an enormous pod of dolphins! Somewhere between 100-300 dolphins swam around and beneath our boats, even occasionally putting on a show jumping and twirling out of the water! It was truly an incredible sight. Our kayaking guides continued to point out animals and cool features, like a spot in the mountains that would echo back to us. Moments after Lauren mentioned how one of her goals for the trip was to see a sea turtle, we saw two! With all of our wildlife sightings we still haven’t had to address Maddie’s fear of sharks, which she is very happy about. Before turning around to head back down the shoreline, we jumped in the bright blue water to swim around and snorkel. Our guide Iggy (a fan favorite) even jumped in and speared a small fish for his dinner!! Back at the beach we enjoyed our lunch before heading back to camp.
Day 2 did not disappoint! We headed down to Hanalei beach to kick off the morning with surfing! Surfing was a group fav, and everyone absolutely shredded the waves! Next, we headed to zip lining, but of course since we are in Hawaii we had to stop for açaí bowls for lunch! We drove into the trees and strapped into our harnesses to zip line over canyons covered in a million different shades of green trees. On our first zip line, Virginia and others took up on the opportunity to zip line upside down like spider man and Palmer decided to do a trust fall off the platform as her zip line launch. Of course, we had to take a quick break in between zip lines to jump a little pond with a rope swing tucked undershirt the canopies. The next zip line was a 4,000ft zip line (almost a mile!) that we took on superman style! Back at camp we enjoyed some chicken quesadillas before Moonup to wrap up the night.
To kick off another epic day in Hawaii we put our hands to use at the National Botanical Gardens and did some gardening service work to help preserve one of Kauai’s rare trees. We were soon to learn the Ava has a green thumb and was an excellent weeder! When it came time for lunch that we packed from camp, they also surprised us with a bunch of local fruit from the farmer’s market. We tried papaya, guava, soursop, lychee, and pineapple!! Lily Ruth was a huge fan of the soursop; it was so different than anything any of us have ever tried before. Before leaving the property, we got a tour and learned about how the Polynesians originally made their way to Hawaii! On our way to the secret beach, we stopped for some local Hawaiian shaved ice, and we were “caught by Clay” (a Moondance photographer). We enjoyed our shaved ice and headed towards the beach where we had the best time swimming in the clear water and doing flips in the waves. On the car ride home Ayden whipped out her fairy hair so now we can all channel our inner mermaid. Emerson and Virginia are our group DJs, with Emerson giving us all new music to bring home and Virginia sneakily knowing the lyrics to every song.
The next morning, we headed back to Hanalei where Helen and Lauren absolutely shredded it with some party waves. What was first a slightly rainy and overcast morning soon turned into a bright sunny day with a double full rainbow over us as we surfed!!! Before exploring another famous Kauai beach, we shopped around in Hanalei. Lily Ruth, Emerson, and Virginia all got matching bathing suits!! On the way to the beach, we even bumped into the Kauai local celebrity Bethany Hamilton!! The afternoon was spent hanging out at the beach to prepare for our Na Pali coast hike tomorrow. Ending the night with a fun burger cookout on the beach and s’mores!! Everyone’s favorite!! We will be reporting back soon!!
Here are some shout outs from the girls!
Virginia- Hey mom and dad I miss yall so much but am having so much fun…I feel like a pro surfer now! We met Bethany Hamilton and can’t wait to see yall! I can tell I’m going to have so many new besties! Love yall! Hug the dogs for me!
Helen- Hey mom dad and Alex, I miss y’all so much, but am having so much fun in Hawaii! It is beautiful here and we are having good weather. I have met some great friends who will probably stay my friends forever. Give Gus and Spanky a hug and treat for me! Love y’all!!
Palmer- Hey guys!! Really missing Snoop and Elsie and my bed right now. Surfing was SO MUCH FUN and I really wish you could be here right now because you would LOVE this island. It’s called the garden island because it’s covered in plants and flowers, and the water is so clear and the waves are, like, huge. I have to take you back and show you around. Also we met Bethany Hamilton which was so awesome. Also Hank there are wild chickens walking all around the island it’s so funny
Lauren – Hey y’all!! Miss y’all so so much, but having SO MUCH FUN!! Meredith you seriously need to do this next year. Mom and Dad I am so happy here, and Jack I miss you bud! Tell Charlotte I say hi!! Also i am loving surfing!! it is so so fun, and I loved and was terrified of the zip line, but me and MG powered through ahahahah!! Can’t wait to see y’all Friday!🤗🩷
Lily- Hey mom and Dad! Miss y’all so much and I hope everything is good at home. I’m having so much fun here though, and am so excited for the next week, but I’m still so excited to see y’all too!
Emerson-hey momma and dad! I love and miss yall so much I hope everything is well back in South Carolina!! I’m having so much fun and I can’t wait to see the other island! counting down the days I get to hug yall again. so so much love!! xoxoxo
Mary Grace- Hey mom and dad! Having so so much here in Hawaii! Have done so many fun activities but love surfing! Tell Meredith Marshall and Maggie and Ollie I miss them and tell them to have so much fun at camp and I’m excited to join them! Miss yall so much! Meeting so many good friends! Love you! 🥰
Maddie- Hey everyone! I love and miss you all so much. I’m having fun and haven’t gotten eaten by a shark yet so that’s a plus. I miss my music and am excited to see everyone but am having so much fun! Love you, see you soon!
Ayden- hey fam I know you guys are missing the funniest person in the house but it’s ok I’ll be back soon so don’t start crying yet. Zip lining was so cool and we should definitely do it some time as a family! Please be taking care of Bean and I hope she is being nice to you. I’m writing everything down so we can have a full debrief when we get home! I can’t wait to eat some good fast food, shower, and sleep in my own bed! I love you guys and miss you! See you soon!
Hey mom! Hey dad! Hey Isa! I hope you all are doing ok I miss you guys so much and I wish you could be experiencing this trip with me. It had been so incredible and I have learned so much. Surfing and zip lining has definitely been my favorite activity’s and I hope that I can continue to get surfing lessons and maybe even do a few with all of us. There are these chicken that look exactly like the ones in Moana and it’s so funny and they are everywhere like squirrels. I love and miss you all and I can’t wait to see you and hopefully talk to you soon. ❤️
Hello From Lihue!
June 11, 2024
Greeting Hawaiian Island families!
We have heard from our leaders that the group has arrived safely in Kauai and the group is off to their first campsite. The trip is off to a great start, and we cannot wait to hear more stories from their adventure!
Please remember our leaders and students will be unplugged during their trips, but we will be posting trip updates throughout the next two weeks! This will allow you to follow along with the trip. You can also follow us on Instagram, @moondanceadventures, to see more of what we are up to!
