Beach time!!
June 16, 2025
After a good night’s sleep following our exciting rafting day, we got up early for surf school, just in time for high tide. Waking up early with the sunrise to hit the waves has to be a highlight of our trip so far. Our instructor Bruce showed us the ways of the board, techniques for popping up, shifting weight and finding the best waves. Both the sun and Austin began to shine out there soon after we paddled out. He was a natural to say the least. Gracie, our morning person, kept that smile on her face as she was doing a great job popping up as well. When we tired out, omelets and coffee filled us up before hopping on the Yanuca island ferry. On the way to the island, we grabbed our flippers and snorkels and hopped into the Gatorade blue water where we caught some of our first glimpses of marine wildlife, including Dory and Crush.
Snorkeling worked up quite an appetite for the students and we were pleasantly surprised as we arrived in Yanuca and had a lovely island bbq waiting for us. The afternoon was profoundly peaceful and was perfect for a mid-trip reset. McKenzie got an intense game of Uno going that had some good competition with our Fiji Beach House friends Danny and Matthew. John found himself in a cozy spot in the sunshine, sipping on a coconut straight from the palms above. Beckett made a new friend with one of the Yanucan island locals, a sweet three year old boy who absolutely loved playing soccer with him. This island was truly a little slice of heaven on earth, crystal clear water, a slight warm breeze, palm tree coverage, hammocks, games and above all the best company.
Surf school day 2 was focused on making some turns in the water. The waves were much bigger and our group had absolutely improved, most notably Michael, oh those Florida fellas! We got to enjoy a longer breakfast after the waves died down and then hit the streets of Sigatoka. Markets and stores came and went with the help from our guide Danny, a Fijian of the same age as the students themselves. His sweet demeanor and extensive knowledge made the afternoon feel wonderful. Jack purchased himself a tribal canoe-shaped drum, eventually playing around with it back at the beach house alongside Alex’s guitar. Our lunch spot offered us a private room, for all the more games and banter, as well as a few rounds of poison dart frog. As we were finishing up our time in Sigatoka, we stumbled upon an arts and crafts store for the students to get lasting mementos. I am not sure who began the dance party but all of a sudden the girls had the microphones to a karaoke machine and had the entire store dancing, even the owner. It was definitely a highlight of the day for us and the town. We also left Sigatoka with some cool rugby jerseys from local teams, rocked well by Dustin.
Once we got back to Fiji Beach House, we had an extraordinary sunset waiting for us as it turned the shallow low tide waters all sorts of purple, orange and pink. Catherine found a starfish in the little tide pools, what a cool sight to see! Some of the group also claimed to have seen an eel. We then played a game similar to two truths and a lie, but with three people telling a wild story about a secretly selected event with only one of the three being true. Hill was quite the star of this game with very impressive story telling skills that had everyone fooled each round. After spending a wonderful time at Fiji Beach House, it was time to transition to the next part of our trip, SCUBA! This has been something that everyone has been looking forward to starting.
We arrived early at Club O which is where we are staying for this section of the trip, got some breakfast and got to learning! After a few hours of working on our scuba skills in the pool, we headed to the beach for an afternoon of swimming, spikeball and hanging out all together. For dinner we went into the Arts Village and grabbed some yummy food from Le Snack to fill our bellies; a fan favorite was the Oreo milkshake that our group loved so much the restaurant ran out of milk!
Our second day of Scuba was even more exciting because we got to hit the ocean to practice our skills. The birthday girl, Amara, faced her fears of diving and jumped right into the water to master her skills. Emory, who was working on her advanced divers certification, got to go 80 feet down with one of our dive masters – down there they saw a reef shark, so cool!!! After a morning of diving we came back to grab lunch and spent some time playing some games (Kaboom and stones) and catching some rays. Once the advanced group came back from their second dive of the day we hit the Arts Village again and this time found some really cool shops! The fan favorite was a local pearl artisan store that, let’s just say, got a lot of business from the Moondance group that day. Most of the girls got matching charm bracelets to remember their time together in Fiji. For the birthday dinner we found a local spot called the Establishment that has some fantastic grub for our hungry group, and had a wonderful time celebrating our sweet birthday girl Amara!
Time for our last session of diving lessons today and then we get to use what we’ve learned!
– Alex + Kaylie
Now for some thank you’s from the group!
John: Thanks for letting me go on Moondance. Its fun in Fiji! – John H
Beckett – Hello mother and father I have had a blast so far in Fiji and am so thankful for all the opportunities you have given me this summer love you so much can’t wait to see u when I get back.
Amara – hiiii mom and dad I’m having soooo much fun, I’m sososososos thankful and lucky to be able to come on this trip. Fiji is AMAZING and we’re definitely coming back. See you soon love you soooo much. #itsmybirthday #finally15
Emory: hey!! Miss you all so so much and am so thankful that I’m able to go on this trip. Everyone is so amazing and I love you sooooo much!! See you soon!
Hill: hiii mama and daddy!! I want to say how much I love y’all! I am forever lucky and so thankful to have parents who give me the opportunities yall give me! I have had the BEST time ever and I love yall so so much -hilly💞💞
Jack: Hey mom and dad! Thank you so much for this amazing trip, it has genuinely been life changing. I am so very grateful for everything you’ve done for me. I miss and love y’all so much!
Michael: hey mother hey father I miss you so much wish i was with you hope to see you soon thanks for sending me to Fiji having so much fun.😀😆🤣😇😌😗😛🤨🥸🤑
Austin: Hey Mom and Dad i misss you both so much, can’t wait to see you soon. I have made many great memories and new friends. Cant wait to talk to you when I get home.
Dustin: hey mom and dad I’m having a lot of fun in Fiji. I’m so thankful for the opportunity to be here. I love scuba diving 🤿. I love you guys so much. 🎉🙏🤑🤿😶🌫️🫨🤑
Gracie: hiya parents thanks for sending me here I love and miss yall xoxo bug 🥺😘❣️
Kenzie: hey Muth and Puth Fiji is so fun I love it here I miss yall like a lot but I’m having so much fun. love u all so much
Catherine: Hi Mom and Dad! I’ve had so much fun experiencing Fiji! Thank you so much for sending me here! Love you lots! Love, Catherine.
Fantastic Fun In Fiji
June 12, 2025
When realizing it was already time for a trip update Alex and I were shocked! This trip is flying by so fast. We have already been able to participate in some of the most incredible experiences and we are only halfway done! This group of students is so kind, fun, and full of curiosity for everything we do. To kick off the trip, we began the first few days with cultural immersion staying in huts in two different villages. Fijian culture is beautiful and distinct so being able to experience this all together has been very special. Night one was Austin’s 16th birthday which was celebrated by an opening ceremony in the Draiba Village followed by cake back at the dining hut. He looked fly in his Bula Shirt! Before playing a lot of games in Draiba with the village kids, our guide Semi showed us the surrounding farms– watermelon, papaya, banana, mandarin and a local delight called cassava, which is a lot like a potato. Catherine had planted the stems in perfectly, just as Semi instructed in his program. After walking over to the village, we played games with the children including duck duck goose, while also singing a silly children’s dance song that had all of us busting out our moves, a village favorite which Hill and Emory starred in. An intense game of rugby was in the works as well, with Beckett showing off his wheels and impressing the Fijians at their own game. The food in these villages were incredible and John would agree as the runner up of the dinner plate competition (behind our guide Semi). So much cake, OJ, fish curry and fruit! After we said a sad goodbye to the Draiba village during a swim in the Sigatoka river, we had a bonfire back at the campsite. The next morning we walked down to the river to hop in kayaks for our journey to the Tuvu village. Each time you visit a new village it is custom and respectful in the Fijian culture to participate in a welcome ceremony that most of the village attends. Within this ceremony there are songs sung by the elders and a a lot of good food. Everyone loved getting to be a part of such an intimate community gathering and the students felt very immersed and welcomed by the Tuvu village! After participating in the farewell ceremony with the Tuvu villagers, our group grabbed our paddles and kayaked to our next stop, the Naihehe cave. I don’t know if Kenzie or the villagers were more sad to see each other go. The champion kayak team, Jack and Michael maintained their lead for the entire duration of the day. This specific location in Fiji is very sacred to the culture as it contains important history from the early 1870s as Fiji was transitioning to a Christian country. This history stop was a cool change of pace and all of the students, especially Dustin, mentioned the history to be really interesting. After the cave stop we had yet another amazing lunch spread with an incredible view and even better company. Each day for lunch we’ve had delicious sandwiches with fresh fruit on the side; this area is known for its Papaya and now we know why! After all of the wonderful kayaking with our great outfitters, we headed to Fiji Beach House to begin the next section of our trip. Everyone was very happy that we got the chance to see all of the villages at the beginning of our trip because it gave the students an insight into the true Fijian culture. Today we had an early morning with a beautiful sunrise shining through our windows as we headed to our rafting day. We spent most of the day floating down the Navua river that runs through the Green Canyon. As a majority of the river was a calm and relaxing current, we had some fun rapids thrown in there as well. The highlight of the day was the raft wars, in which Gracie took charge and asserted herself at the front of each attack. We stopped for another wonderful lunch spread right by a pretty stream of water that glistened in the afternoon sun. Our group refueled, jumped off a nearby rock to cool off and hit the river to finish the rest of our route. Shoutout to Amara for taking that playful surprise attack from the guide! Once we got back to the bus, the long sunny day of rafting got to everyone and each person slept the whole ride back to the beach house! We took the afternoon to relax and unwind, taking in the past few days that we have had. The students hung out on the beach during sunset, laid in the hammock sand played a round of nukem volleyball. We all got together for dinner, another wonderful meal thanks to Fiji Beach House. Following dinner we played a few rounds of pool, cards, and did our Moonup. Tomorrow morning the group is getting up early to hit the ocean and catch some waves. Overall, this trip has been very eye opening. Beginning within the Fijian villages allowed the students to get a taste (literally) of what the culture here is all about. Now for the rest of the time in Fiji, we’ll be out of the mountains and in the ocean!
Shoutouts:
John: Hey Dad wanted to wish you a happy Father’s Day I hope that everything is alright at home. Love you
Dustin: Hello mom and dad I’m having such a great time here in Fiji our group is super fun and the villages we stayed at were very cool to immerse yourself in the culture. We have white water rafted which was very cool with great scenery. I’m excited to surf and scuba the next week. Happy Father’s Day. Love y’all.
Austin: Bula mom and dad I’m having so much fun, and I have made many new friends, I can’t wait to see you and I’m enjoying my time in Fiji. Also happy Father’s Day dad I miss you so much and hope you have a great time golfing.
Michael: hey father hey mother I’m having so much fun and can’t wait to see you father happy Father’s Day I’ve slept very well and eating a lot I have made a bunch of friends. I miss you so much hope to see you soon
Beckett: hey mom and dad I miss yall so much and hope you are having a blast in Italy. Fiji has been so fun I’ve learned a lot about the culture and met a bunch of people in different villages I’ve also learned A lil of the language. Today we went rafting and it was insane and super beautiful I think yall would love it here. See you soon and happy Fathers Day, Beckett.
Jack: Hey mom and dad and Eleanor! Fiji has been incredible so far and everyone is so nice. We have been to lots of villages! We went white water rafting today and tomorrow we’re going surfing. I miss yall so much and happy fathers day dad! Love yall, Jack
Gracie: hi mommy and kk, Fiji has been a blast. I have met so many amazing people and have made great memories so far. Happy Father’s Day kk I hope you guys have had fun. Tell Shelby I say hi. I miss and love yall. Xoxo bug
Kenzie: Hey mom and pa life is good trip has been so fun also HAPPY FATHERS Day love all the people the girls are so sweet love u all sm!!!!
Catherine: Hi mom and dad! Fiji has been so fun and everyone is super sweet. I love and miss y’all so much and can’t wait to see you. Happy Father’s Day! I wish I could be there to celebrate with you. I can’t wait to tell you all about my trip when I get back. Tell Chad and Lauren that I love and miss them. Love, Catherine.
Amara: BULAAAA mom and dad i miss you so much and im having a lot of fun so much sun! Happy Father’s day. I miss you so much. Hope you’re having fun in Africa. Love you sooooo much!! Love Amara
Emory: Hi mom and dad!! Love you so so much and am so thankful that you sent me on this trip. My group is amazing and we’ve been having so much fun. Graysen and I love Fiji! Love you so so much and happy Fathers Dayy!!
Hill: hi mommy and daddy! I am having so so much fun in Fiji but i miss you so much. We have been in villages, kayaking, and rafting but the village is definitely my favorite. Everyone here is so so sweet and my group has been so nice. I am so so thankful y’all give me opportunities like this and I love yall so so much! Also daddy makes sure mommy gives you a fathers day card. Tell everyone I say hi and I love them- hilly
All Students Have Arrived!
June 8, 2025
Hi Fiji Families!
All students have officially arrived in Fiji and the group has been reunited! We are so glad that the entire group is all together, and we can’t wait for them to start their activities. We’ll be posting more trip updates throughout the session!
-Moondance HQ
The Adventure Begins!
June 7, 2025
Hello Fiji Families!
We heard from our leaders this morning that most of the group has landed safely in Fiji! Unfortunately, due to travel delays, three students, along with Kaylie, will be arriving soon and will be reunited with Alex and the rest of the group upon their arrival. The group is so excited to start their journey all together!
Please remember our leaders and students will be unplugged during their trips, but we will be posting trip updates throughout the next week! 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
