Making Memories In Maui
June 13, 2025
Ahola families!
We arrived safely in Kahului airport and we cannot wait for what the next two weeks hold for our group 🙂 Our first arrivals at the airport, Eleanor and Hawkins, brought nothing but smiles and enthusiasm to start our adventure. We played lots of hacky sack, learned new card games, and even did the classic “Shake and Pop” Moondance game. Shortly after, we welcomed Matheus, Mary Brady, and Jane to the group! They arrived just in time for dinner… pizza!!! The five of us ate delicious cheese and pepperoni pizzas, vegetable platters, and an array of a charcuterie board. Once the rest of the group rolled in, we loaded up our beloved van and headed to our campsite. Once we arrived at the campsite, the students were eager to unpack their belongings and get settled in for the next two weeks at our new home. The sky was clear and the stars were beautiful and we began our very first moonup. This time was filled with getting to know one another, some awkward laughs, and sharing our goals for the upcoming weeks. At the end of the Moonup, we announced our first leaders of the day (LODs)….. Mary Brady and Henry!!!!
We woke up bright and early for our first day of SURFING!! The kids were stoked to get on the water– even though we had a 6am wake up. While eating our breakfast in the car, we talked about who was going to be the most talented surfer, and all decided it would be Joe. The outfitters gave us a short briefing on how to get up on the board, then we were off to the ocean. Hawkins was the first to master it, and Eleanor and Henry were not long after. Pretty soon, everyone was catching waves on their own! Corinne shocked us all by using her gymnastics skills to balance well on the board! After an hour on the water, we were able to shower off and hop back in the van for a quick shaved ice run before our next activity. The place that we chose was on the western side of the island, and we decided that it was the most smooth and authentic shaved ice we’ve ever tasted. Lucy’s tongue was blue by the end of it! Our afternoon activity was spent helping the owners of our campsite, where we learned about the farm’s history, got a tour of the rest of the camp, and harvested carrots for the weekly farmers market pop-up! We split into teams and Eleanor, Andrew, Joe and Henry worked hard and collectively harvested roughly 250 carrots to be sold at the end of the week. Meanwhile, Matheus, Rhodes, Simms, Hawkins, and Caroline took on the carrot cleaning crew. We enjoyed our icebreaker conversations that led to many belly laughs and awesome memories. The group was itching to try the fresh carrots, so Henry and Joe rose to the occasion and declared a carrot eating contest! The group watched in awe as to who would win the competition… the winner is up to discretion but let’s just say Henry did not finish his carrot ;). After a long afternoon of work, the group was pleasantly surprised by a massive waterslide. The twists and turns that ultimately led into a pool was the perfect reward. Andrew and Simms took the waterslide like a champ and decided to introduce the idea of a party slide, where we would link arms and go down together. We wound down playing some hackey sack as Matheus locked in his first stall with Evan’s (Our campsites owner) son Bija close by. A long day’s work called for a big TACO dinner! At the end of the moonup, we announced our second LODs….. Jane and Andrew!!
The sounds of peacocks awoke the group this morning in a surprisingly comforting way. We have enjoyed getting to see chickens, peacocks, birds, and deer all over the farm. With breakfast burritos in the cards for breakfast, Andrew stepped up to chop potatoes while Jane cooked the eggs. It created the perfect breakfast burrito extravaganza. Henry kept the group entertained about a hypothetical situation where your dog walks up and says “no one will ever believe you” while we prepped the van for the Wai’hee Ride Trail hike. We were feeling blessed with our usual stunning views and felt ambitious for the hike ahead. Simms and Rhodes leaped ahead of the group with Matheus and Eleanor hot at their heels. The arduous intensity of a hike proves that there is a beauty in the conquering challenges. We have a lot of fun in Maui but watching Harri, Corinne, Lucy, and Mary Brady conquer the peak as a group felt like this flashpoint that brought the group together in a meaningful way. Joe, Andrew, and Henry decided to run the last mile down the mountain to motivate the group for our afternoon beach excursion. Eleanor got in first to the van with the whole group quick to follow. When we arrived at the beach, the whole group decided to jump in and rinse off from our sweaty hike. The water felt amazing!! After feeling refreshed and ready for the evening, we hopped in the van to our delightful cooking class. Our wonderful outfitters gave us a tour of their farm, while we sipped on sugarcane juice (which is delightful). We saw some fruit trees that had the crew aghast – caviar limes, bread fruit, mangos, and papayas – had us feeling intrigued by the beauty of the Hawaiian culture. After the tour, we divided the group up to each tackle a different element of the taco meal. Matheus led his group in creating the jalapeno dill sauce and even let the group try before the meal was done! Henry, Harri, and Corinne won the competition for best listeners and were bribed to do so with a prize! We left the cooking class with full bellies, lots of laughter, and an appreciation for an incredible group. We did moonup under the Maui stars and selected Eleanor and Simms to be our next LODs for the trip!
We woke up to the sound of roosters and the beautiful sun shining – there truly is no better feeling! Eleanor, Henry and Joe were up first and decided to go for a run around the island while the rest of the group enjoyed the beautiful morning. Kate toasted up bagels for the group and we all enjoyed the delicious breakfast. After our bagels, we loaded up our day packs and hopped in the van. We drove down the Road to Hana and took in the breathtaking views along the way. Jane, Mary Brady, and Harri were singing to the tunes in the van and got the group stoked for our activity… repelling. Before we knew it, we were at a rappelling destination. The group listened to a briefing on repelling logistics and risk mitigation before we began tackling the 50+ feet repels. The group did a phenomenal job and we were so proud of Simms for tackling his fear of heights and taking the repel like a champ! We went down three repels, two of which were repelling down beautiful waterfalls into the lake. Andrew, Joe, Eleanor, and Rhodes eagerly found climbing rocks and began climbing up. The rest of the group watched in awe and cheered as Corrine and Lucy began making their way down the repel. Once we were done, we thanked our outfitters and loaded into the van to Baldwin Beach! The beach is famous for its long white sand beaches and is a favorite amongst the island. The boys immediately jumped into a game of football, while the rest of the group headed to the beach to enjoy some lunch. The sky was clear and the group energy was high! After a long and adventurous day at the beach, we headed back to the campsite to prepare the most anticipated dinner… Joe’s famous! He delegated tasks amongst the group and we eagerly worked away to create his masterpiece: Joe’s twist on spaghetti and meat sauce. The group absolutely LOVED the dinner and it was easily a fan favorite. We closed the thrilling night with moonup and elected Harri and Rhodes as our LODs for the day!!!
We had an early morning wakeup followed by a quick breakfast then on the road to the west side of the island to Maui Cultural Lands! Lahaina was severely affected by the wildfires and the juxtaposition of resorts and burned grass really hit home for the kids when talking with some of the people who have dedicated their lives to preserving the land. The guides took us on a tour of the stunning valley where we learned about noni and all kinds of other canoe trees. We had the opportunity to impact the community by getting our hands a little dirty with hard work and Henry, Matheus, and Eleanor in particular really put their nose down and got to work. Pulling weeds isn’t the most fun activity in the world but everyone did their share and had a lot of fun learning from the guides about their culture. We were all in awe of one of the outfitters, Pua, who is 92 and was able to outwork all of us. We said a sad goodbye to them after a few hours, and headed to a beach across the street to eat our packed lunches. Then, we drove over to Paia for an afternoon in the town! Everyone dispersed and were able to shop around for an hour, and ended the afternoon with a local ice cream stop! We played “Birdie on a Pirch” and cooked pita pizzas for dinner which was a huge hit! At the end of the moonup, we announced our second LODs…..Corinne and Matheus!!
Shoutouts:
Rhodes- Hey Mom and Dad, I’m having fun here in Hawaii but still miss the family. I hope Axl is doing well, y’all made a good call sending me here. I miss y’all a lot and I’m having a great time. Try and get those notes to Maddy and forward trip updates to her. I miss y’all a lot, I’ll be back sooner or later. Bye mom, bye dad, bye nikos.
Matheus- Hey Mom, Dad, Kiersten, and Teddy. I am very grateful to be here and have this experience. I am having a great time and the activities are so fun. My favorite so far was surfing and hiking. I can’t wait to see you guys soon.
Eleanor- Hello Ben, Dad, Mom, Scout, and Max! I’ve loved every second here and everyone is super nice and the counselors are amazing. I literally don’t want to come home but I miss you guys! Mom, my digi cam is in good condition and has been put to use! such fun memories have been captured with it. Ben and Dad I can’t wait to hear about your adventures and tell y’all about mine!! I’ve tried new foods and had a good time with everyone (I also ate an actual good mango mom and it was life changing). Pet Max and Scout for me! Love y’all!
Simms- Hey Mom and Dad! I hope all’s going well and I am having so much fun at Moondance. I miss you guys so much and thank y’all so much for this amazing experience. I am also having a great time with my friends and counselors. Love y’all and can’t wait to see you guys again!
Jane- Hi mom and dad, I miss y’all a lot. I’m having a lot of fun in Maui and with my Moondance group. My activities have been really fun like surfing and a cooking class. I can’t wait to see y’all again.
Corinne- Hola parents!! I am having so much fun in mauiiiii and miss y’all a lot. We havebalready done so many fun activities but I am most excited for snorkeling later. My ankle is doing
great 🙂 My group is great and I love my leaders so much. Miss and love y’all!! Also hi Henry, sala, and sophie if she is still alive. Byeeeeeee!
Lucy- Aloha Mom, Dad, and Warner! I miss y’all so much and I am having fun! I can’t wait to see y’all and tell y’all about it! The leaders are amazing and everyone is nice! Miss and love y’all!
Andrew- Hi Mom, Dad, and Charlie I am missing you and hope you have a good time in SA and I am having a good time. Love you.
Henry- Hi Mom and Dad, I miss y’all but I’m having a ton of fun. We are about to go repelling and I’m sure it will be great. I hope you guys are doing well. I love you, and see you in a week and a half.
Harri- Hi Mom, Dad, Grace and Styles! I miss y’all but I’m having so much fun. I’m goated at surfing and our group is super good! Everything is beautiful here and I love our counselors! Love y’all.
Mary Brady- Hi Mom and Dad! I miss y’all so much but am having a lot of fun. Maui is so pretty. I also miss Darla. Love y’all so much.
Hawkins- Hi Mom and Dad I hope y’all are having a great time at home. I am having a lot of fun in Maui. I tell my friends hello and I miss y’all and my friends tell Millie I miss her and make sure to have a good time. Love you.
Safe Arrival!
June 9, 2025
Hello Maui Families!
We heard from our leaders this morning that the group has landed safely in Maui! 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 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
