Final Update from HWI 2B!
July 5, 2026
Well, we’re back for our final trip update!! We’ve been having the best two weeks ever. Time really does fly when you’re having fun, and this group brings out the most fun in everyone. After our last update, we’ve done a LOT! As we finish our time here on the big island, we got to snorkel with manta rays, complete our Open Water SCUBA certifications and cook some delicious Hawaiian food.
After our last update, we had a fun-filled day of boat diving! Georgia and Grady both saw a huge eel during their dive. Ellette, Maggie and Elle saw a huge turtle while they snorkeled around the boat! Max saw two sharks, dolphins and a turtle on his dives. He also showed off his amazing buoyancy by swimming through an underwater ring, twice! Miles got to swim along side a huge school of goat fish, and Dani and Carrie showed off their navigation skills before floating up to the surface and having to go back down. Chase also showed off his navigation skills underwater and swam to a drop off before turning around to find the group again. Mayes and Will finished their scuba certification strong too!! It was an unbelievable boat diving day.
After everyone got their certifications, we got to explore a local outdoor market. It was really cool, and there were some delicious quesadilla and tacos eaten. For dinner, we got local poke! Grady tried it for the first time and loved it. It was amazing! After a yummy dinner, we headed back to the pier for manta ray snorkel. Captain Cosmo took us out early to get a good spot. Luckily his fifth captain sense got us right! We saw two huge manta rays! One of them brushed Maggie, Miles and Will. Her name was Jolene, and she was 12 feet long. It was crazy!! We managed to talk about college football even while being around such majestic creatures, but that’s what really matters, ha! The manta ray snorkel was one of the coolest things everybody got to experience, and the warm showers off the back of the boat made it even better. The night was long, so we headed back to camp and went straight to bed.
Somehow, our last full day arrived. We woke up for the last time in Naptopia and had a morning moonup. It was sad to leave camp, but we got to head back to Larry’s for our cooking class! Max and Maggie showed off their knife skills and even impressed the instructor! We had some delicious Hawaiian squash salad with apples and cucumbers. Before we enjoyed our main entree, we got a tour of the gardens! We saw banana trees, a lychee tree and even avocado trees. It was a real treat, but the good stuff came when we headed back and got to eat braised beef with potatoes and caramelized onions. After the cooking class, we hung out at camp and played lots of games. Mafia, body-body and wax museum were a hit. For our final dinner, Miles, Max and Georgia cheffed up some delicious pasta and meatballs. It was a hit!! Our final moonup ended with a grand speech about our country’s 250th birthday.
Waking up to a beautiful sunrise after sleeping in a bit, our leaders made USA red, blue and white pancakes! Happy 4th of July and 250th birthday America! “God Bless America” and “The National Anthem” were our alarms for the day. Will helped cook up some delicious eggs for everyone. With our red and white bandannas, we chowed down before packing up camp for one final time.
In honor of banquet, we stopped at Goodwill. Everyone got some pretty gnarly outfits to wear to our final meal together. Miles rock some high heels while Georgia showed off her “Where’s Waldo?” shirt. The crew headed to a local Mexican restaurant for one final time to chat over food. We enjoyed quesadillas, burrito, bowls, salsa and of course chips! The waiter was very appreciative of our ability to dress to the ninth. Luckily, we got the restaurant to ourselves. Happy 4th for July! After a delicious meal, we headed to the airport to do our final Moonup before sending everybody off. Of course, it wouldn’t be a car ride without stopping at a gas station to let Carrie get some crazy candy. This time she opted for a more tame option, a push pop.
Our final moon up was a time to reflect on the trip and everything it has brought us. As everyone walked to the airport to begin their journey home, we couldn’t stop hugging each other goodbye. These past two weeks have been an amazing time. Although we may not be sleeping in hammocks to one another any longer, we always know everyone is a phone call away. Thank you so much for sending everyone to the Hawaiian islands, it really was the best time ever!
Update from HWI!
July 2, 2026
We’re back! The trip is going just as well, if not better than the last time we checked in. Ziplining was exhilarating. Max said it was his favorite activity. Everyone got to swim in a small water hole created by lava flow and go on the longest Hawaiian zipline in the world (ha!)! We saw where Jurassic Park and Jurassic World were filmed, and for anyone who’s a Pirates of the Caribbean fan or likes Indiana Jones, we zipped right over those filming locations too. For dinner, Grady taught everyone the secret of putting mayo on your grilled cheese to help it toast better. Although skeptical at first, everyone loved them!
Another early morning in Kauai called for some car naps on the way to sea kayaking! Our LODs Mayes and Chase helped lead the way along the NaPali Coast. As soon as we got out into the ocean, we were surrounded by hundreds of spinner dolphins! It was such a treat that not everyone gets to see. They swam underneath us, jumped around us and even made some noises to say hello. We got to stop at a small beach for some yummy sandwiches, chips, pineapple and cookies. Miles kept the group entertained with an extravagant story of a family tree. Dani, Grady, Chase, and Elle P. all played mermaids in the rocky water of the beach. On the way back to the beach, Maggie got to see a huge sea turtle in a cave with the guide! Sea kayaking was pretty physically demanding, but it was all made better when we got to swim in the ocean after. Georgia led the game of over/under, and the waves were huge! To treat ourselves for a long days work, we stopped for some local poke. After dinner, we shared shaved ice and ice cream. We ended with a wonderful final moonup on the island of Kauai. Even our sweet camp dog, Pua, joined us.
Airport day was a hoot! Our LODs Grady and Carrie helped keep everything packed and organized while we began to island hop. From Kauai to Honolulu to Kona, we made it! The highlight of the day was a trip to Costco. Everyone got to explore the big world of Costco, but Will and Miles opted for a quick nap on the show couch. To reward everyone for such an awesome airport day, we housed three rotisserie chickens, softer serve and some green grapes to keep it balanced. After our yummy picnic, we headed to our next campsite. Everyone opted to cowboy camp or sleep in hammocks! It was awesome. We headed to bed early to prep for our first day of scuba.
Waking up bright and early on the Big Island was easier than expected because everyone was pumped for scuba! As we headed to Jack’s diving locker, we mentioned all the animals we wanted to see. Miles wants to see an eel, Georgia wants to see a pufferfish and Grady and Chase want to see a shark. We hope these wild animals will grace us with their presence in our ocean dives! Everyone passed their written scuba test with flying colors and made their way into the pool. We got to do snorkel exercises, scuba skills and take our first breaths underwater. We got some yummy fresh watermelon, pineapple and oranges for lunch before hopping right back in for the afternoon pool session. We were all exhausted after day 1, but LODs Elle P and Will got some nerds gummy clusters at Walmart for everyone! With a sugar boost and smile on our faces, we made our way back to camp. Chef Miles, Chef Dani and Chef Georgia made a delectable meal of Hawaiian chicken tacos. Everyone enjoyed it, and Chase even said it was his favorite! Looks like we have some Gordon Ramsey prodigies on our hands. The night ended with mani/pedis and lots of funny conversations before we gathered for Moonup and hit the hay.
Scuba day 2 was just as exciting as day 1. Everyone woke up early and packed up camp before heading to the diving locker. Upon arrival, our scuba certs set up their gear and hopped in the pool! We got a special treat of fresh mangoes from a scuba instructor. Everyone was pumped to eat them at dinner. In honor of finishing pool skills, we got to explore town for a while! After some exploration, we headed to camp. A toilet with a view, Naptopia and the world of Goats welcomed us at our next campsite site. We set up camp and Georgia, Chase and Dani made us some delicious orange chicken and rice. We ate it and the hungout at camp before gathering under the trees and hammocks to have Moonup.
Day 3 of scuba was even better! We finally got to venture into the ocean. Everyone geared up and waddled into the ocean for our two short dives. After a great day of seeing eels, crown of thorns and lots of cool fish, we enjoyed some yummy sandwiches and pizza. As an early celebration to the 4th of July, we hung out and watched the USA beat Bosnia!! It was so exciting. We got to have an early visit to the boat harbor and then hitched a van ride to Safeway for a delicious picnic. We headed home for Moonup to prepare for our boat day all together!
We are having the best time in the Hawaiian Islands! See yall soon!
Thank yous:
- Will: thank you for giving me such a great opportunity to step outside my comfort zone and meet new people. I can’t wait to see y’all in a couple days miss yall so much!
- Miles: thank you guys for letting me go on this trip I went scuba diving today I love you guys and can’t wait to see yall
- Georgia: thank you guys so much for sending me on this trip I’m infinitely grateful for this opportunity and I’ve met so many great people I’m having the best time ever love yall
- Grady: hey yall thank yall so much for helping me go in this trip I’m having the best time of my life I love yall and I can’t wait to be home!
- Max: Hi mom and dad! thank you so much for sending me on this trip! I have had such a great time! Can’t wait to see you guys!
- Chase: hey yall thank you so much for sending me on this trip I’ve had such a. Great time so far and I can’t wait to be home! It’s one of the best times of my life I love and miss yall!
- Maggie: Hi Mom and Dad! I miss yall so much. I can’t wait to see yall. Thank you so much for this trip. It’s been amazing and I’ve had the best time ever! I hope yall have been having a fun time at home. Love yall! Tell William I love and miss him!
- Carrie: hi mom and dad! Thank you so much for sending me on this trip! I have made so many new friends. can’t wait to see you I all soon! I am so excited to soak up the last few days in Hawaii !
- Elle P: hi mom and dad I miss yall so much but I’ve been doing so many cool things with such cool people I’m very gratful yall sent me on this trip! Love and miss yall
- Elle J: thank you guys for letting me have y this opportunity I had so much fun on this trip I can’t wait to get back to the farm! I miss the cows! I love and miss yall
- Dani: hi yall thank you so much for letting me experience things like this and I’ve made so many new friends I’m so thankful and I love and miss yall so much can’t wait to see yall! Scuba diving has been so awesome!
- Mayes: hi mom! It’s Mayes. I love you so much and miss you! Thank you so so much for letting me come to Hawaii. I am having the best time and making so many new friends! My leaders are so perfect! Can’t wait to see you soon!!!! Love you!!
Aloha Second Session!
June 27, 2026
Hi everyone! We are so excited to send our first trip update from HWI 2B!! They are perfect and awesome and we have loved getting to know them more each and everyday!!! On airport day we had a parking lot pizza party and had our first night at our beautiful camp site on the beach. Everyone was hype that they could also unplug from their white, pink, brown noise and hear the world’s best noise maker!!
On day 1, we woke up to the most insane beach sunrise. We headed to our first activity surfing. Grady was a natural and surfed with group one and group two! He just loved it!! Elle P was doing some tricks on the board and absolutely killed it!! We then had a beach picnic where Maggie tried carrots and grapes for the first time!!! She wants mom and dad to know she loved them! Everyone was a big fan of the Hawaiian rolls in Hawaii. Lunch was followed up with more spikeball. This time Mills and Paige partnered up and took on the competition. Chase and Will got close to victory but they will have to keep fighting!! Dani then led us in “don’t touch my rock” and we had the best afternoon running around like kids at summer camp. Because we are!!!
We then came back to camp for chef Georgia and her sous chefs to make us steak bowls for dinner. They were awesome!! After a big day the leaders thought they would give a little speech on how proud they were of everyone for being so helpful and awesome and end the speech announcing we were GOING FOR ICE CREAM!!! After a mad dash to the van we got dole whip and shaved ice and it was AWESOME!!! We ended the day with an amazing moonup and lots of hammock hanging up for our new beach beds!!!
The next morning began bright and early for the whole crew. We made our way to the other side of the island for our hike. The morale was up and high because it was Mayes’s birthday! Everybody wore birthday hats and sang to Mayes on the way to the trailhead. We played trail games and had DMCs before enjoying lunch with a stunning view of the NaPali Coast. Miles showed off his camera skills and took photos of the whole crew. On the way back, Dani annihilated the uphills, with only a few breaks to lay down (she said it was comfy). Everybody finished the hike with a smile on their face, and Will passed out nerds gummy clusters to brighten the mood even more! On the way home, we stopped to get soda and slushies before heading back to camp for a special surprise… hotdogs and cupcakes for Mayes’s birthday! We celebrated, danced, and ate so many hot dogs.
Waking up with the sun was a delight for everyone after the early wake up on the hike. After sleeping in, we headed to our service portion of the trip. Elle J pulled so many weeds while Chase and Grady were cracking jokes to keep the motivation high. Carrie has collected the most “My Cows”, with a great spotting on our walk to a waterfall. After the group killed their service portion, we took a trip to Wally World for everyone to get a treat. The group gathered their goodies and we headed home. For dinner, Max served the crew some delicious meatballs and pasta with red sauce. It was a hit! We ended the night with some football on the beach. Everyone split into two teams and got to play amidst the beautiful sunset.
After some hiking and service, we got to catch some more waves! We had the prettiest day on the beach and got some more spikeball in!!
We have had the best time ever and can’t wait to keep the good vibes up!! We are so grateful to be here and absolutely are in awe of the land here!! The leaders and kids are absolutely amped to keep it moving!!!
Shoutouts:
Grady – What’s up yall! Hawaii is gorgeous and I am having so much fun. I miss y’all very much. Everyone here is awesome and it will probably go down as my favorite trip.
Dani- Hi people, Hawaii is such a gorgeous place and I’m having the best time. I don’t think I’ve ever ate so many gushers in my entire life. I do really miss y’all though and please tell everyone that I can’t wait to see them. I love you all so much.
Max- I miss you guys.
Maggie – hi mom and dad I miss y’all so much and can’t wait to see you! I’m having a lot of fun and trying new things. Tell Cate I miss her.
Miles – Hi mom, Price, dad, Henry, and JB and everyone else! I’m having lots of fun. It’s very cool. I like the beach and sleeping on the beach. ROLL TIDE!! P.S. Hi Yaya and GG!!
Elle – Hey everyone! I miss yall so much. I am having so much fun! I have met so many fun people. I know how yall are not having much fun without me there! Can’t wait to go back to the beach. See y’all soon! David, maggie, Tessa I can’t wait to get gang back. Love y’all.
Georgia- Hi everyone! Having a great time on the trip I’m love and miss you mom and dad. Miss you too Robert and lee we are hanging out when I get home first thing, but I never want to leave! See yall soon!
Will- Hello Mom, dad, Sandy and George I am having such a fun time. I’m meeting new people and stepping outside my comfort zone! Can’t wait to see y’all!
Mayes- hey Mom! I love and miss you so so much! I am having an awesome time in Hawaii! It’s so gorgeous and fun here. Our group is so fun and our leaders are so fun too. We get to camp on the beach and I get to sleep in my hammock and we also are surfing! See you soon love, Mayes
Carrie- hi mom and dad I miss y’all but I am having the best time in Hawaii. I love my group so much and I have made so many friends and tried so many new things we are sleeping on the beach right now and it is so much fun and so pretty. I love y’all so much and I will see y’all in 10
Chase- hey y’all first I’ve love and miss everyone M, dudski, Hudson, raga, pamp, Molly, i’ve had so much fun and this has been one of the best experiences of my life and I am so thankful for this. I have learned so much about myself. I hope all of this is going amazing and I can’t wait to get back love and miss everyone, Mollie, Raga, pamp, Hudson, dudski and M.
Ellette- hey mom, Dad and Ev! I’ve been having a great time. We’re sleeping in tents on the beach and have gone surfing where I did a head stand on the board hiking zip lining going to Walmart got shaved ice and so much more. I’ve cooked us dinner all three nights in the campsite with cowboy camps and slept in hammocks too love and miss y’all and still feeling the same as I was in NYC.
Safe Arrival!
June 23, 2026
Hello Hawaiian Islands Families!
We heard from our leaders last night that the group has landed safely! Please remember that our leaders and students will be unplugged during their trips, but we will post trip updates throughout the trip! This will allow you to follow along with their adventure. You can also follow us on Instagram, @moondanceadventures, to see more of what we are up to!
-Moondance HQ
