Great Ending in Hawaii!
July 23, 2024
Day 10:
Day ten was a blast! We started the morning strong with surfing. Group one surfed first: Rachael, Anna Wesley, Nick, Fallon, Frances, Logan, and Avery. Nick found his love for surfing and had so much fun that he surfed with both groups! The surf instructors, Cole and Luka, were a blast to talk to and had many fun stories. When the surfing groups switched off, groups went to Slow Yourself Down- our favorite coffee shop on the island! Fallon, Avery, Frances, and Logan all got delicious acai bowls! After both groups went surfing, we all explored Hanalei Village. Everyone went shopping and exploring. Once we finished exploring, we headed to Tunnels Beach, where Bethany Hamilton got her arm bitten off! Tunnels Beach was fabulous! Tunnels is famous for snorkeling their lava tunnel. The lifeguards at the beach were hilarious and kept everyone laughing. Porter especially had a great time swimming and floating. Grace and Cate loved floating with the boogie boards. Students were also excited about the fresh pineapple the local food truck was serving! After our long beach day, we headed back to camp. Once we returned to camp, everyone showered, and we started on dinner. Evan did an excellent job cooking the peppers and onions. Avery expertly cooked the steak and beans. Once dinner was prepared, we all dug in!! After dinner, we had Moonup under the stars on the beach.
Day 11:
What a great day! We let everyone sleep in and had a relaxed, slow morning. Everyone has been sleeping in their enos or on a beach recliner. We woke everyone up and chatted around the enos for alittle bit then started to get ready for the day. We had a quick breakfast and then headed to the local farmers market. Everyone loved it! Evan got a nutella oreo banana stuffed crepe that he loved. Cate, Fallon, and Evan all got homemade lemonade, which was so refreshing and yummy. The farmers market had art, jewelry, fresh fruit, souvenirs, and more! It was so fun to explore the local vendors. After exploring the market, we had a quick lunch on the way to zip lining! We went on three zip lines, with a water portion in the middle! The water portion was so much fun! There was a 30 ft jump that outfitters Tim and Haylen call the jump of doom. There was also a zip line going into the water that everyone had a blast jumping off of! France’s and Cate especially loved it and kept doing fun tricks off of it! The last zip line was the most fun. You must go with a friend and lie on your stomach like a Superman. It’s over 4,000 feet long! The longest zip line in all of Hawaii! After zip-lining, we headed back to camp. Back at camp, the cook crew, Logan and Frances, whipped up dinner! Logan was a natural cooking burgers and Frances made Mac n cheese like an expert. After dinner, we had Moonup, led by LOD’s Nick and Evan, on the beach.
Day 12:
Last full day!!! Most of us slept outside in enos or on lawn chairs and woke up before sunrise! We grabbed a quick breakfast and hit the road to Polihale State Beach Park. Though it was early, spirits were very high! When we got to the beach, we sunscreened up and carried the canoes towards the water! After a quick safety briefing, our guides pushed our double kayaks through the waves into the open Pacific Ocean water! As we paddled up the coast, we saw dolphins swimming beside us!! Everyone was very excited! During our kayak tour, we stopped near the Napali cliffs and snorkeled around- Fallon and Frances had an especially good time swimming around and seeing turtles and lots of fish!! Grace was sure to re-apply sunscreen.. as she accidentally sat on the sunscreen bottle, and it exploded in the boat- we all had a good laugh about that 🙂 Porter and Cate kept their spirits high by singing various songs- including Dark Horse by Katy Perry and Moana- as they paddled. Nick had a blast kayaking with one of our guides, Brian, who called him Captain Nick! The group paddled 8 miles total- more than usual since the guides thought they could handle it, and they definitely could! Once we got back to shore, everyone helped carry the kayaks back up to the road and sat down for a hefty lunch of turkey sandwiches on focaccia bread! One of our guides, Ajah, brought us a delicious pineapple that we all enjoyed! Our other guide, Brian, gave Frances and Avery a coconut from his garden! After lunch, Ben enjoyed boogie boarding in the waves with Fallon and Logan. After showering at the state park, we hit the road and got our favorite treat- JoJo’s shaved ice!!! But the surprises weren’t over yet- we then hit Walmart for some hilarious costumes, and EVERYONE committed to the bit. From Cate and Ella Anne’s giant khaki shorts, tall black socks, and bucket hats to Frances, Fallon, and Logan’s princess costumes to Porter’s PJ set to Evan’s hilarious pj pants to Nick’s funky sweatshirt to Avery’s cargo shorts and funny tee to Grace’s nightgown, we were a sight to see when we walked into Paco’s Tacos! After a massive meal full of guacamole, tacos, enchiladas, and quesadillas, we headed back to camp for a memorable last Moonup led by Avery and Logan. We all fell asleep under the stars, reminiscing about our wonderful trip.
Day 13:
Last day of the trip! We truly had such a wonderful time with these incredible students, so we had to have just a little bit more fun before the airport! Many of us woke up outside and began packing everything and cleaning the campsite. The group then went to one of the best acai places in Kauai and had the most delicious smoothie bowls. Some of the girls wanted to try the health and wellness shots. One was a “Noni shot,” a fruit from Hawaii that smells rotten but is considered “nature’s antibiotic.” Cate and Ella Anne got the Noni shot, and even though no one wanted to finish it, it was still fun to try! After lunch, students wrote letters to themselves that they will receive in the coming months. We then stopped in Kappa’a for students to get last-minute souvenirs for families and friends. Before heading to the airport, we played two last rounds of our favorite trip game, “Empire.” Ella Anne won the first round, and Cate won the second round! We then headed to the airport to drop our first student, Evan, off to his family. This was definitely a very sad goodbye, and it felt like a piece of our puzzle was missing as we drove away to pick up dinner from Safeway. Students ate chicken tenders, salads, and snacks from Safeway before we brought everyone to the airport for check-in. Your kids are such amazing people, and we feel so lucky to have gotten to know them, laughed with them, and experienced the most unique adventures with them over the past two weeks. We know they will go so far in life and cannot wait to see what they do! Thanks for an AWESOME Hawaiian Island session!
Thank you!
Rachael, Anna Wesley, Ben
Hello from Hawaii!
July 19, 2024
We had our first slow morning of the trip today! We woke up to horses, chickens, and pigs around our campsite, which was a fun sight. Fallon and Cate cooked pancakes for the group while Grace and Nick made sausage and eggs. Since the students completed their SCUBA certification the day before, this breakfast was a celebration to honor their achievement. Avery and Evan opened sparkling apple cider for the celebration, and we put candles on the pancakes. After breakfast, we hung up a piñata full of candy, stickers, and cookies—it was truly work to get it open! Frances hit the piñata first, and Grace knocked it to the ground. After several rounds, students finally tore it open to find the goodies. We then all hopped in the van and went to explore Hawi, the town near our campsite. The girls were very excited about the cute jewelry at local shops. We then headed to our cooking class, where we learned to chop various vegetables, including onions, carrots, and celery. Frances was very excited about the celery, her favorite vegetable. Porter showed off his slicing skills and impressed everyone, especially the teacher. Rachael and Anna Wesley were incredibly enthusiastic about learning how to make carrots into star shapes. The students then learned how to braise beef. After the first portion of the class, our teacher, Jasmine, took us on a tour of the beautiful farm. We saw cows, avocados, bananas, and lychee trees, which Nick climbed to find ripe lychees for everyone. Cate and Avery were very excited about the coconuts that Jasmine had given them. After the farm tour, we sat down for a delicious beef stew meal with all the vegetables we cut and quinoa. We also had coconut water and a sparkling lilikoi drink. For dessert, we had fruit crumble. After the delicious dinner, we headed home and finished the night with a Moonup led by Nick and Logan.
Travel day!!!! We are headed to Kauai today! We are all so excited! We woke up, had a quick breakfast, and headed for the airport. The airport process was seamless—Porter said, “Hawaiian Airlines is like riding a bus; it’s so easy.” After two short, easy flights, we landed at our new home. The kids were in awe as the plane landed, taking in their new home for the week. Once we had gotten groceries, we headed to the best sushi place on the island—a local sushi truck called Kauai Sushi Station. It was so delicious, and they gave us a flower on top of each roll! After everyone devoured their roll, we headed to camp. There was plenty of laughter and singing on our drive. As we pulled into camp, screaming emerged from the back of the van; the kids were stoked about their new home. They could not wait another minute and jumped right into the water! After swimming and setting up their enos, everyone showered as we prepared dinner. Grace did a fabulous job cooking the pasta, and Logan crushed it while cooking the ground turkey. After dinner, we had our first Moonup in Kauai, on the beach under the stars. It was gorgeous. Grace and Frances did an excellent job leading our first Moonup by asking fun, light-hearted, deep questions. We wrapped up our first night with laughter and cookie dough.
First full day in Kauai!!!! Whoop whoop!! We kicked off the morning with some awesome surfing at Hanalei Bay. The ocean was so beautiful, and the waves were just the right size. In our first group, we had Grace, Evan, Porter, Ella Anne, Cate, and Ben. Cate was a natural and caught wave after wave, while Porter had a great time swimming more than surfing! Meanwhile, our second group, with Rachael, Anna Wesley, Nick, Fallon, Frances, Logan, and Avery, checked out a cool local coffee shop called Slow Yourself Down. They all loved their coffees, which came in engraved mason jars that they could keep. Frances also found way too many cute hats! Later on, we all played volleyball and had a lovely picnic on the beach. After that, we were off to our next adventure at Ho’opio Falls. The hike was steep, but the waterfall was totally worth it! We had a blast swinging on the rope and exploring the falls. Frances and Fallon especially loved using the rope swing. When we got back to camp, we swam, played cards, and enjoyed a delicious dinner. We finished the night with Moonup, led by Evan and Ella Anne. Such a perfect day!
Day 9 was absolutely fantastic! We all got up bright and early to take on our biggest adventure yet—hiking the beautiful Waimea Canyon for a whopping 7.5 miles! After a quick breakfast, we made our way to the canyon, where our amazing guide, Hannah, shared fascinating insights about Hawaiian culture. We reached the top in no time and enjoyed a lovely lunch while taking in the breathtaking views of the clear blue water and the striking red canyons. The hike back was just as enjoyable, and to wrap up our day, we surprised the kids with gigantic shaved ice from Jo Jo’s Shaved Ice. Their excitement was priceless, and we all returned to camp with full smiles and happy bellies. We spent the evening playing games, hanging out in our enos, and enjoying a delicious dinner cooked by Grace. Then, we had a peaceful Moonup on the beach under the mesmerizing stars, followed by a few fun rounds of “three on a bench” before calling it a night.
- Ben, Rachael, Anna Wesley
THANK YOU:
Logan- Thank you Mom and Dad for letting me go on this trip! It’s been so amazing and I can’t wait to see you guys soon!
Porter- Thank You so much for sending me on this amazing trip! I’m so sad it’s getting close to the end. I have loved every minute of it and can not wait to see y’all in Utah! I love you guys so much and am so grateful!
Grace- thank you guys so much for sending me on this trip I’m having so much fun and can’t wait to see yall soon!
EA- Thank yall so much for sending me on this awesome trip! I’m having such a blast! I have loved every part of it. Cant wait to see yall! Love you!
Avery- Thank you mom and dad so much for this amazing opportunity I can’t thank you guys enough for sending me and letting me go!! I’m having so much fun and have learned so many life lessons and made so many friendships that I can cherish forever! Thank you again, I love you guys!!
Fallon: Hey Mom, Susu, and Poppa! I am so so grateful that I get to be on Moondance again! I have made so many lifelong friends and I honestly think these trips have given me such a unique opportunity to grow as a person. Thank you so much for making things like this possible for me! Love y’all!!
Cate- Hi Mom and Dad!!! Thank you so so much for sending me on Moondance it has been an incredible experience and I am forever grateful for this!! I have grown so much these 2 weeks and I have learned so much! I have learned tons of life lessons and learned more about myself! Thank you so much for this opportunity and I can’t wait to see yall!!! LOVE YALL!
Frances- Hey mom and dad! Thank you so much for sending me on Moondance!! I’m having the best time and I wouldn’t be able to have this amazing experience if it wasn’t for ya’ll!! I’ve learned so much here and I’ve met so many fun people!! Thanks again and I can’t wait to see ya’ll when I’m home!! Love you!!!!
Evan- Hey mom and dad! Thank y’all so much for sending me on this trip! I have had a great time and everyone in my group is great and I couldn’t have asked for a better trip than this! Thank y’all so much and I love you and will see you soon!
Nick- Hey, it’s nick. That yall for helping me get this all together! I’m excited to tell you everything we have done over the past 2 weeks! Ps. Could you ask Jason to order a compression gauge for a standard spark plug while and a quad battery? Thanks!!
Aloha from Hawaii!
July 17, 2024
Airport day! Whoop whoop! We were absolutely pumped for everyone’s arrival. We got to the airport early, armed with snacks, posters, and leis to welcome everyone! Cate, Evan, Frances, Fallon, and Logan arrived first. We had some time before the rest came, so we took them to a nearby beach! As soon as we got there, we spotted a giant sea turtle! Without a second thought, we all jumped into the water. The clear, refreshing water gave everyone much-needed energy after their long flight. The girls swam out to a nearby floating platform, chilling and soaking up the sun. They even hilariously photobombed some wedding pictures! After our fun in the sun, we returned to the airport to pick up the rest of our group. It was amazing to have all ten of us together at last! We all bonded so quickly and had a blast. After leaving the airport, we grabbed dinner – pizza! We enjoyed our pizza, salad, and Tiramisu outside, with endless laughter and chatter. Once dinner was done, we headed back to the campsite. The kids were super excited as we arrived. Porter even said it was better than staying at a hotel! Horses, ponies, chickens, and goats surrounded us! As soon as we arrived, everyone was in awe of the campsite, and they wasted no time setting up their hammocks. Special shoutout to Nick for helping everyone set up their hammocks and taking care of the trees! After settling in, we had our first Moonup around the fire pit. Porter, Fallon, and Grace did an incredible job discussing embracing the moment and disconnecting from technology.
Day 2:
Our first official day!!! We did not waste time and jumped right into it. We woke up the kids and headed straight to scuba after breakfast. New divers started in Jack’s Diving Locker classroom, and everyone passed the first written quiz with flying colors. Then they broke into their small groups with our instructors Sam and Carlos. Sam’s group consisted of Nick, Logan, and Porter, and Carlos’ group consisted of Fallon, Avery, Evan, and Cate. The groups hopped into the pool and did their swim test! The pool was refreshing; even Ben, Anna Wesley, and already certified student Ella Anne hopped in! The group then started learning pool skills such as mask removal, buddy check, and decent. They played with zinc face paint during lunch, which brought many laughs! Grace, Frances, and Rachael went on Jack’s diving locker boat to work on their advanced scuba license. Grace and Frances picked up their skills in no time! On the first dive, we were lucky to see two manta rays, an octopus, and a WHALE SHARK! It was unbelievable! Grace and Frances were shocked but did a great job staying calm and observing the shark. After our first dive, we had lunch on the boat and sunbathed on our way to the second dive spot. For our second dive of the day, our objective was buoyancy. After SCUBA, we all headed to a nearby restaurant to try Yelp’s 8th Best Cheeseburger in the World! After some debate about its quality, we don’t know much, but we do know that it was a pretty dang good burger! With full stomachs, we headed towards Mauna Kea, the tallest mountain in Hawaii at 13,000ft, to watch the sunset! It was truly one of the most beautiful sights in Hawaii, and we felt lucky to be there! Porter and Cate led our second Moonup at camp and asked thought-provoking questions.
Day 3:
Happy Friday! Today was day 2/4 of scuba! For our students getting open water certified, it was their last day practicing their skills in the pool. Frances and Grace are working on their AOW (Advanced Open Water) and furthering their skills in the ocean! Ella Ann joined Frances, Grace, and Rachael on their boat dives today and was fortunate enough to swim with a turtle! Furthermore, they worked on their underwater naturalist skills and picked out their favorite fish. Frances’s favorite was the rasp fish! Grace’s favorite was the blue parrot fish! While Frances and Grace worked on their AOW skills, the rest of the group worked on their open-water skills at Jack’s Diving Locker! Back at Jack’s, the group learned CESA (emergency exits from the water) and planned their dives to show off their skills to instructors and have fun! Porter was very excited about the part of the dive he planned, which consisted of playing rock paper scissors underwater! After a long day of scuba-filled fun, we returned to camp for dinner and downtime. After Jack’s, we had some beach time at Dog Beach. Logan loved petting all the friendly animals! Evan did a fantastic job making the Mac and cheese. Nick killed it, cooking the pork and BBQ for dinner. After dinner, we all sat by the campfire and played games! We finished the night under the stars doing Moonup.
Day 4:
Happy day four! Today, Frances and Grace passed their advanced open water certification with flying colors! Frances and Grace had to complete six dives for this certification, including compass navigation skills, underwater naturalist skills, deep dive skills, boat skills, and buoyancy skills. AOW instructor Anna, was thrilled to give them their certifications. Their two boat dives today were incredible! On dive one today, they went down to 85 feet and saw some pretty neat things! After dive one, Rachael, Frances, and Grace breaked for lunch on the boat. We ate sandwiches, chips, fruit, and cookies on the ship’s bow, and the sun felt so nice! Afterward, we headed off to our second dive site. Open water students had their first shore dives today! We dove off of Dog Beach, a popular spot today. The water was crystal clear, and there were only a few clouds in the sky. The group spotted a shark and an octopus on their underwater adventure. At the dive shop, Avery, Ella Anne, and Anna Wesley were very excited to get real-time shark bracelets that track a different shark in the ocean. Following a big day of diving, the group stopped by Walmart on the way home… and when we tell you it was the Walmart trip of the century, we mean it! Grace, Ella Anne, and Avery walked out dressed head to toe in hula attire and sparkly backpacks. Fallon, Frances, Logan, and Cate all got matching nightgowns that they made sure to wear that night. We returned to the campsite for card games, Empire, and laughs. We had taco night, made by the wonderful kitchen crew – Frances, Porter and Cate!! Moonup was led by Grace and Avery, who decided to pass the torch on to Fallon and Evan for day five!
Day 5:
Today was one of the most thrilling days this week! We started at Jack’s Diving Locker, boarded the boat, and prepped for our first dive. After setting up their scuba gear, the students rode out to the first dive site, where they reached 50 feet and saw trumpet fish, eels, and a flame angelfish. On the way to our second dive site, our captain spotted a whale shark. The students quickly put on their snorkels and fins to swim alongside it, amazed by its 14-foot juvenile size, with Francis and Fallon diving right next to the creature. After this exciting encounter, we had our second dive, where the open-water divers earned their certification. We were so proud! This shorter dive ended with both advanced and open-water divers meeting up. We returned to shore for a quick lunch before gearing up for a night dive and snorkeling with manta rays. On the ride out, we enjoyed a beautiful sunset and took photos. Before our first night dive, we sat around a giant spotlight that attracted plankton, the mantas’ primary food source, and watched them swoop through to feed. The mantas got so close they kept bumping into leader Anna Wesley and student Evan. After this incredible experience, we headed back to camp, had a quick Moonup led by Fallon and Evan, and then went to sleep.
We have had an AMAZING time in Hawaii, and cannot wait for the adventures to come!
Signing off for now,
Ben, Anna Wesley, and Rachael
Shout outs:
Grace:
Hi mom and dad! I’m having tons of fun and seeing so many cool things! miss and love u all tons. Tell the dogs I say hi! See u all soon🏄♀️🤙
Frances:
Hey mom and dad I’m having a blast!! Hawaii is so cool and I’m having the best time! My group is so fun and we have done a ton of fun activities!! 🌺☀️🏄♀️
Cate:
Hi mom and dad!! I’m having so so much fun and my group is AWSOME!! My activities are super fun and I am having a blast!! Tell everyone I say hi!! Love y’all!! 🏄♀️☀️🏖️
Evan:
Hey mom and dad! Hope y’all are doing great and I want to let y’all know that I am having a great time here and my group is the best! I’ll see y’all soon! Love y’all!
Nick:
Hey, just checking in I hope that mi mi is doing well. I’ll be back soon. Tell Nash I said hi
Porter:
Hey Ya’ll! It’s me! I miss you guys but not too much cause I love my group so much! I just got to Kauai it’s so beautiful here! I can’t wait to tell you all about it and my amazing friends that I have made! Love you guys so much! ❤️
Avery:
Hi mom and dad! I’m having so much fun in Hawaii and I can’t thank you guys enough for this amazing opportunity! Also hi Lars and Miriam and Caiden and Greer and Rees I miss you guys so much and love y’all! See you guys soon! I love my group so much and can’t wait to tell you all about it!! 🏄♀️🤙🤍 Ps. I did beat my fear of the ocean surprisingly!!
EA: (Ella Anne)
Hey mom and dad!!! I’m having such a blast here and can’t thank yall enough! We just switched islands and finished up diving! So cool! Tell everyone I said hi and give Bruno hugs for me ! Love and miss yall!!! 🌊🪸💕☀️
Fallon:
Heyyyyy! I’m absolutely having the best time and I love my group so much!! Excited to tell y’all about everything I’m doing! Please let Adie, Mg, Olivia, Frannie, Laney, Mary, Callan, Anna Cate, Claudia, Anna Fox, Caroline and Taylor I’m alive. Love and miss yall!! ☀️🌺🤙
Logan:
Hey fam! I miss you guys so much but Hawaii is amazing and my group is the best ever! I went scuba diving and it was so much fun! I even swam next to a whale shark!🤯 I can’t wait to see you guys and I love you all so so much! I miss you the most John 🤗 See you guys soon!!🏄♀️🌊🏖️
Safe Arrival in Hawaii!
July 11, 2024
Hello Hawaiian Island Families!
The group landed safely in Hawaii and the trip is off to a great start! We can’t wait to hear all about their exciting adventures over the next couple of weeks!
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!
-Moondance HQ
