Mahalo and Memories From Maui 1B
June 21, 2025
Families!! From the bottom of our hearts, Mahalo for sending your kids with us for the adventure of a lifetime.
We started out the final stretch of our trip with Ziplining!! We woke up and made pancakes and eggs for a filling breakfast before our thrilling day ahead. We loaded up in the van and played lots of Tyler the Creator, Tyler Childers, and Noah Kahan on our hour drive to our ziplining destination. For safety, we split the group into two with Kate and Joe taking the first half out immediately and Caroline following just half an hour later. In the meantime, Caroline’s group walked around the area and stumbled upon a coffee shop, restaurant, and gas station all in one. We decided to get some snacks to get us ready for the day ahead! The whole group agreed that going in pairs and racing to the bottom was a load of fun for the day. Joe and Henry in group one raced one another with Joe coming out on top, while Andrew and Rhodes in group two raced one another with Andrew coming on top! The students in group two took matters into their own hands and got the guides to prank Caroline by getting her stuck on one of the ziplines!! We also loved the final line we went on which accelerated up to ~35mph and is their fastest zipline. All in all, ziplining was by far a lot of the students’ favorite activity and we loved our time with the outfitters! Once we completed ziplining, we drove back to our campsite to begin an anticipated activity…. MASTER CHEF!! We divided the groups into two: Harri, Matheus, Eleanor, Mary Brady, Rhodes, Simms ~ versus ~ Corinne, Lucy, Jane, Henry, Andrew, and Hawkins. We pulled out our mystery ingredients of raspberries, chocolate chips, potatoes, and avocado. There was lots of laughter and enthusiasm from our kids, and after dinner we ended the night with moonup by electing Rhodes and Corinne as our LODs for the following day.
The day started with excitement from our kids as we headed into the final days of the trip. After waking up to the sounds of chickens and deer, we headed into the van for our activity of the day, SUP (stand up paddleboarding). On the way, we played some of our favorite tunes of the trip including Maui Wowie and Intergalactic. Once we arrived at our lesson, we were greeted by our outfitters and listened to a brief safety instruction. Then, we were out on the water!! The warm sky and cool water was the perfect compliment for a fabulous day. Andrew and Caroline were quick to test whether they could both paddleboard at the same time and we succeeded! Harri was crushing it on the paddle board and moved amongst the water with such grace. Our guides gave us lots of information about the deep rooted Hawaiian history and even told us ancient tales. After we paddled in, we thanked our outfitters and the leaders surprised the kids by taking them to Foodland. We stocked up on sushi, poke bowls, chicken, and all our favorite meals in preparation for the well anticipated Olympics that would come that evening. We proudly wore the color red – with the girls in matching shirts and the whole group in matching bandanas. Henry, Simms, and Rhodes were the first to try the red hair spray paint and the rest of the group quickly followed! We headed to our Olympics destination and listened to hype up music like the classic Thunderstruck song. “Olympics” entails all the Maui groups competing in a series of “events” for bragging rights. We did birdie on a perch, a handstand competition (in which Corinne took home the gold), running (Henry and Lucy CRUSHED it, and lastly our watermelon eating competition. Joe, Henry, Caroline, and Eleanor broke the tie amongst the teams for our final activity!! We had such a fun time enjoying each other’s company and meeting the other groups. We got pizza on the way back to our campsite and ended the night with a moonup under the stars.
Our last day started with our LODs, Jane and Simms, getting everyone excited for our last activity: sea kayaking!! We met Griff bright and early that morning, but that did not stop our kids from filling the morning with positivity. We piled in the kayaks and headed out on the water where we were greeted by calm (and perfect) waves for the day. Griff is incredibly knowledgeable about Hawaiian culture and the kids were fascinated by the information they received. After kayaking for a bit, we found a nice spot to jump out to snorkel – which was very well deserved. We were greeted in snorkeling by the majestic coral reefs underwater and everyone was thrilled to see an eel that day! Shoutout Matheus for spotting it for the group!! Once we were done kayaking, we headed back to our campsite to grill out hotdogs for lunch. Caroline grilled away with the assistance of Henry for everyone to enjoy a hotdog! We had some downtime in the afternoon and then headed to another campsite for our banquet luau. Of course on the way we had to stop at Goodwill to stock up on some AWESOME outfits to wear. We can’t wait for you all to see the photos!! The banquet was filled with dancing to Hawaiian music, local fire shows, and a delicious barbecue dinner. Mary Brady, Hawkins, and Harri were crushing the dancing and we loved watching them. We had such a fun time celebrating our two weeks together. We headed back for moonup that night, which was arguably the most memorable one and put our heads down for the last night together.
The morning went by in a blur, with packing up camp, cooking pancakes, and writing letters!! Before we knew it, we were at the airport saying goodbye to one another. Parents, we cannot thank you enough for sending your child with us for two weeks. We value each and every one of them and we are so grateful to have gotten to know them. We will miss them deary, but they are headed on to do incredible things in the future!
Naʻau hoʻomaikaʻi – MAU1b filled us with so much gratitude.
Caroline, Kate, and Joe
Windsurfing, Waves & West Side Sunsets
June 18, 2025
Komo mai families to our second trip update!
We are absolutely loving our time in Maui and cherishing these special moments with one another! Since our last update, we started with Corinne and Matheus as our LODs! The daystarted with an exciting energy with windsurfing as our morning activity. Our LODs for the daywere PERFECT since Matheus and Corinne both blew everyone away with their windsurfingabilities. Their balance and control on the boards was admirable and before we knew it everyone was up and surfing. The students began learning tricks – Eleanor learned how to do a 360 and Simms learned “the turn of the century.” We were so proud of our students for persevering through the activity and ultimately crushing it. After our windsurfing lesson, we piled in the van together to head back to our campsite for a lei making lesson. We were introduced to some of the most beautiful Hawaiian flowers and began making our personalized leis! Henry made quite the beautiful lei and rocked it for the rest of the day. After our lesson, we hopped back into the van and headed to Launiupoko Beach for the remainder of the day. Rhodes, Matheus, Henry, and Simms jumped into a game of spikeball while Kate videographed intense games. Joe, Andrew, and Hawkins decided to jump in the water while the girls stayed behind to catch some rays! The afternoon was filled with group bonding and laughter until we pulled out the pots and pans to cook dinner on the beach. We were welcomed with a beautiful Maui sunset right over the water while we made ramen. Post-dinner, Andrew decided to challenge Joe to a push-up contest and ended up coming on top 54-49 push-ups. We all packed up our dinner and headed down to the beach to moonup under the starry sky. The LODs selected Hawkins and Lucy to be our LODs for the following day. The night ended with an ice cream stop on the way home and we went to bed that evening filled with gratefulness, excitement, and full bellies.
The next morning greeted us with our second day of surfing! The students were so excited to get out there and try more advanced skills on the board. We ate breakfast of muffins and fruit on the way to Kalama Park to meet our outfitters for the day. We were briefed on some safetyprecautions and also learned tricks we could try. Eleanor and Corinne were the first to try thesetricks and did a headstand on the board. Meanwhile, Simms was absolutely crushing every wave that came in his direction. After some surfing, we decided to take a quick break and put our boards side-by-side to run across. Henry was the first to try, then followed by the rest of thegroup. Once our time was up, we packed up and headed back to the van. We drove to anothernearby beach, Big Beach, where we got to swim and relax before our next activity. Caroline,Kate, Lucy, and Harri all laid out their towels together and shared many laughs under the sun.We enjoyed lunch on the beach and then drove for our Tropical Plantation Tour. We learnedabout different Hawaiian-grown fruits and vegetables- and the train we rode was arguably thebest part! Mary Brady and Jane were making the group laugh at the front of the bus and set thepositive energy for the rest of the afternoon. We learned how to cut a coconut and Eleanor wasthrilled to try it on her own! After a van ride filled with our favorite Tyler Childers and NoahKahan tunes, we began making our dinner- hamburgers!!!! Corinne started us off strong byhelping Joe perfect their guacamole recipe, while Caroline cut up watermelon for her first timefor the group as an appetizer. Kate and Joe began making the smashburgers, while Henry (ourvegetable-chopping pro) began perfecting his craft on the lettuce and tomatoes. We all listened to music and enjoyed each others’ company until a wonderful moonup that night where we elected Eleanor and Henry as our LODs!
We had an early wake up (which was worth it) for one of our best days yet, the REDLINERAFTING TOUR! The boys were the first to jump into the water once we arrived at theMolokini Reed and started snorkeling with the fish. Our guides took us to another spot wherewhen the water hits the rock it creates an “elevator.” The last snorkel spot was the biggest hit,because of the many sea turtles we were able to swim inches away from!! There was even a“turtle spa” which is what the guides call when the fish eat the algae off of the turtles’ backs. Joewas able to take some sick photos of Harri throwing up a shaka next to a turtle! On our ride back, we were lucky enough to spot a pod of dolphins who ended up swimming along with our boat!! Eleanor was able to capture a lot of the action with her camera. The guides gave us a great beach recommendation for the rest of the afternoon. We conducted mid-trip check ins for each of the kids. The opportunity to get real one on one conversations with the kids felt extremely meaningful for us, and we hope they felt the same way. Along with this, Simms and Rhodes were bodysurfing waves the entire time and having a blast. After resting up on the beach, we surprised the kids with a local food stop for dinner! We let them choose, so naturally, they picked pizza! Henry was bold and picked the Hawaiian pizza, which was incredible! We took our pizza to a beach park and ended the night with moonup while watching the sunset, and elected our new LOD’s, Mary Brady and Andrew!
A note from Joe: I would like to take this time to announce official trip nicknames that you might inquire about. Harri- Lil Durk, Lucy- Koolaid, Corinne- Avocado, Eleanor- lil tay, Mary Brad -TB12, Jane – nail girl, Hawkins – BK/Camo/Ranger, Henry- Unc, Rhodes- T-bone, Simms Strawberry/Gingerbread, Matheus- Chef Mateo, Andrew- No-Show
Today was a great day filled with our conservation activity followed by the beach! We started off the day at Kipuka Olowalu where we learned about different invasive species and why we are helping to clear the land. Andrew definitely won the award of most hardworking, he ended up chopping eight stumps!! The guides taught us helpful lessons about lots of different native plants, even the Noni, which Henry used to help remedy a small sunburn. After a morning of working and learning, we took the kids to one of our favorite beach spots for the rest of the day! It was a calm afternoon, and the girls were able to sit and chat in the water. Simms and Rhodes played their favorite game of bodysurfing which Andrew joined in on this time. We all agreed to leave the beach a little early to hang out at Pono and stay out of the sun for the rest of the day. Our evening consisted of more chips and guac (courtesy of Corinne and Caroline), hair braiding(courtesy of Jane), and laughter.
On behalf of our leader team, we want to thank you so much for sharing your sweet kids with us this summer. It truly has been a blessing to get to know each and every one of them, and we hope that they will remember their time in Maui forever. But as for now, we still have four more days…LETS DO THIS!!
Kate, Caroline, and Joe
Eleanor- Hey guys!! I can’t wait to see you all and the pic of Max and Scout on my digi cam is making me miss those little bots so much. I can’t believe the trip is almost over but I’m excited to get back to my bed and shower and play music on Spotify. Call y’all in 3 days!
Simms- Hi Mom and Dad! I’m having so much fun here in Maui and looking at the stars at night is reminding me of y’all. I will call you guys as soon as possible and tell Clementine and the boys I say I love them. I love you guys so much!
Rhodes- Yo I’m having a lot of fun here in Maui I’ve been sleeping outside with a group and it’s fun I can’t wait to come home and listen to music and shower and see all I miss y’all I’ll be home soon.
Jane- Hi mom and dad, I miss y’all a lot. Maui has been really fun but I’m excited to go home and see y’all. I love yall so much!
Mary Brady- Hi mom and dad I miss y’all so much. I’m super excited to see y’all but sad to leave. I love y’all so much and can’t wait to be with y’all again.
Harri- Hello parents I miss you so much but I don’t want to come home. I am so grateful you let me come here and I have literally had the best time ever. I love you and can’t wait to tell you about it!
Andrew- Hi mom and dad I miss you a lot and hope you had a good time in SA and I hope Charlie is doing well, love you.
Henry- What’s up parents, the trip is going great and I can’t wait to see y’all in three days. I hope all is well tomorrow is the Olympics so I’m locked in, this is awesome I love y’all bye.
Hawkins- Hi mom and dad, I really miss yall but really love camp. I am sorry for having to give you a phone call but I have really turned my behavior around for the better. I can’t wait to call you when I get my phone back. I love you.
Corinne- Hey guys!! I am having so much fun in Maui!! I can’t wait to see you in just a week!!We have the Olympics tomorrow and I am so excited!! Love and miss yall!!Matheus- Hi guys. I miss you so much and can’t wait to see you guys in Colorado. Maui has been so much fun and I hope to see you guys as soon as possible! Love you!
Lucy- Hi mom and dad!! i miss you so much and i am so thankful yall let me come here can’t wait to see y’all and tell you how much fun i had! Love and miss yall!
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
