Final Farewell <3
July 6, 2026
Hi Moondance families!
We are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to spend these past two weeks with your kids. They are each incredible people with such willpower, courage, and kindness. While it was a tough goodbye, we are so fortunate to have students who make saying goodbye so difficult.
Day 10: Our day kicked off at 7:15 AM as we geared up for a morning of windsurfing. The heavy wind made the water choppy, but every camper pushed through and successfully caught the waves and surf into shore, also learning to tack and jibe. Several kids even named it their favorite activity! John Mills, Phillip, and Peppin were especially happy, noting that the strong gusts helped them reach fast speeds.
Afterward, we drove into Kahului to pick up lunch at the grocery store. Since we had a bit of extra time before our next stop, we spent a few minutes browsing the local shops.
Next, we headed up to Kula for a one-hour tour at the Surfing Goat Dairy. We started by checking out the male goats, then moved over to feed the female goats, which the kids really enjoyed. We walked back to the main area to see where the milking happens and wrapped up the visit with a cheese tasting. We were able to try six cheeses along with crackers, as we sat on picnic tables beneath a canopy. The perfect reward for a long day.
After leaving the farm, we went back to camp to pick up Mason, Sydney, and Myers. The whole group then headed out for a Costco run. We made it back to our campsite by 5:45 PM to hang out and relax for the evening. We finished the night together under the stars for Moonup, talking about how crazy the goats were, but most importantly, how proud of each camper we were that they tried windsurfing.
Day 11: The day started out bright and early as we made our way to kayaking/snorkeling to spend the day with Griff’s (a previous Moondance leader) coworkers. We began heading out in pairs in our kayaks and learned the correct techniques to kayak efficiently. We got to our snorkeling spot all of us jumped out and saw the gorgeous fish and some turtles. Jack and Sarah explored a cave that the outfitter had pointed out!
We then made our way to Walmart to buy supplies for the Maui Olympics. James and Henry were very excited and got ready immediately back at camp, practicing soccer to prepare for the competition. We took some great pictures and headed to Baldwin Beach Park for the Olympics. We were team black! As reigning champions came in with high hopes, but we ended up losing to team blue. Regardless, the kids had a great time seeing other campers in groups A and B, while participating in the different activity/games we planned. We ended up getting second place (we think it was rigged), but still ended up having a great time! The kids were great sports, and everyone got a chance to participate in each activity. These kids love breakfast food, so we had breakfast for dinner and ended up cooking with Teddy! Robert (RAN) led a great Moonup with Sarah, and we cooked s’mores to finish the day!
Day 12: Everyone woke up with mixed emotions today, as it is our last day. We headed to our first activity at the Maui Cultural Land, where we picked invasive species and learned more about Hawaiian culture and what the actual word “Hawaii” means. Afterwards, we headed back to camp and got ready for banquet. After we got ready, we had plenty of time to spare. We played group games, did acrobatics like cartwheels and backbends, and soaked up the last day together. At banquet, everyone was excited to see each other and show off their funny outfits. After banquet, we finished the night at Baldwin Beach, cooking hot dogs, celebrating a bittersweet goodbye.
Thank you again for your amazing kids! We feel so thankful to have gotten to be with them. It was so tough saying goodbye, but we were so fortunate to have them in Maui 2C!
With much love and a final farewell,
Holland, Mason, Austin
Peacocks, Paddleboards, and a Whole Lotta Aloha
July 3, 2026
Helloooooo Moondance Families!!
Day 5: Again, we are so thankful to have your kids with us on this trip, and they each are a spectacular addition to our fun, laughter, and adventures that words cannot begin to describe. This morning, we were able to sleep in a bit and began the day by going to Walmart together for a couple essentials and birthday decorations for Holland’s upcoming birthday. We made our way up the road to Hana Highway and our activity included rappelling! We went down three rappels, two of which were down a waterfall. We got to jump down from the rappel into a swimming cove, then swim around and even rock climb a little bit. Phillip said his favorite part of the activity was the waterfall and watching the students face their fears of heights and rappelling. Mason, Austin, and I taught the campers risk management protocol, emergency rappel safety (water safety, gear safety), and LNT (leave no trace). Peppin, Sydney, Myers, and Sarah, and Teddy were familiar with these terms because of their Moondance trips last summer. Everyone did great! We saw a lot of peacocks! Afterwards, we enjoyed our lunch at the nearby Garden of Eden. Sarah and James led a strong Moonup, and to end the night, we made a quick Costco run and played volleyball at camp! They finished the night making homemade pizza!
Day 6: Today, we headed down to Redline Rafting where we snorkeled and saw lots of sea turtles and even a baby shark. Our guides took us to four separate stops to snorkel, which was so surreal! The highlight of the activity was the “crack,” which was behind the crescent. John Mills floated up to the “crack” as if he were in an elevator when the waves came through. He is constantly the first one in and last one during anything active. We cruised around learning more about Maui history — Myers and Henry said they loved it! After our activity, we headed to a public beach where we got to see the location/set of the first White Lotus season! This beach had perfect swimming waves, so we were out there for the whole afternoon. Afterwards, we headed to an ice cream shop where we had our first local ice cream stop in Kīhei. We then walked around the shops next to the ice cream shop. We then headed back to camp to unwind from our long day and ended with a yummy dinner and Moonup led by Peppin and Robert (RAN).
Day 7: I was surprised and woken up for my birthday to birthday songs on the speaker and our whole campsite decorated (at 6:30am — an early morning for us… and the rest of the campsite) and everyone wearing party hats. We then hopped in the van and headed to stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) where we enjoyed the relaxing but educational activity. We paddled to a couple different spots, saw some sea turtles, and were able to hop in the water and tan a little bit as well. Our activity lasted a couple hours, and we even had students comment and say that it was the perfect activity — not too long, but not too short. The highlight of the activity was watching people do headstands on their paddleboards. The kids got really cool surf shack hats provided by the outfitter, after they helped the outfitters put the boards back in the truck. Afterwards, we headed into town for a local food stop. We had some more time before our next activity, so afterwards we went to shop for clothes for banquet. Afterwards, we had lei making and hula dancing at Waipuilani Beach, which the kids loved — so many great opportunities for pictures! We then ended the night on Baby Beach with all three Maui groups for my birthday. MAU B brought a cake and it was so much fun! We stayed until the sun went down.
Day 8: Our first activity of the day was Waihe’e Ridge hike, which is a four-mile loop that begins with a challenging uphill incline. This hike has lush green, waterfall-studded views, and an incredible 360-degree view along the ridgeline. Jack and James were the first to summit, along with the rest of the boys. Everyone was able to complete the hike — even after a 1,500ft elevation gain! I cannot begin to say how proud I am of everyone. After, we completed a sunset cooking class with La Kāhea Community Farms that allowed for everyone to step up and help cook tapas for the group.
We are so thankful your kids are able to experience Maui with us, and we will check in soon. Hope you don’t miss them too much!!
Holland Miller, Mason Wellons, Austin Edwards
Peppin – Thank you so much Mom and Dad for sending me on this Moondance trip! It has been so cool to see Maui. Love yall so much!
Sarah- Thank you so so so much mom and dad for giving me the opportunity to go on Moondance trips!!! They are so fun and always really cool!! Maui has been amazing I love and miss you guys so much!!
Jack- Thank you so much for sending me on moon dance. This trip has been nothing short of amazing! I can’t wait to see y’all, but at the same time I don’t want to leave! I love yall so much!!
James- Thank you so much mom and dad for sending me on this Moondance I’m having so much fun just like you said I would I love yall so much I can’t wait to see you done
Phillip- Thank you for sending me on this trip. It is such an amazing opportunity, and I am so blessed to be here. I’m having fun, we learned wind surfing yesterday, which was hard but so fun. See you soon
Myers: Thank you so much mom and dad for sending me to Moondance this year!! I’m having so much fun and I love maui!!! I have made so many new friends and can’t wait to see yall! I love yall so much see yall soon!
Henry- Thank you mom and dad for sending me to this Moondance trip in Maui. I’m having a lot of fun, and it is beautiful here. I can’t wait to see yall soon.
John Mills – Thank you mom and dad for sending me on this trip to Maui, and thank you mom for helping me pack which helped me stay organized. Maui has been a lot of fun but I miss yall and Alabama.
Sydney- Hi mom and dad! Thank you so much to sending me to such a special place! I love it so much and I’m so grateful for this opportunity. Love you guys and can’t wait to see yall!
Theodora- Hi mom and dad!! Thank you guys so much for sending to Moondance this year! I love all of my friends and I’m so grateful for this opportunity. Love you guys so much see you soon!
Robert- hey mom and dad!!! Thank you SO much for sending me to Moondance it is so much fun and I love the people here! Can’t wait to see yall when I get home!!!!!
Our First Days in Paradise!
June 27, 2026
Helloooooo Moondance Families!!
Day 1: Hi families, we are thankful to have your kids with us this summer on Maui 2C!!!! Today, we picked up the majority of the students at the Kahului airport. They were all in high spirits and excited to meet each other. After the airport, we went to set up camp and tents. The kids did great and were very efficient setting up tents. The students started to get hungry, so we went to pick up pizza, and we walked around the docks with boats and watched the sunset over the ocean. The first moonup was exciting! Moonup is a time we share at Moondance where we reflect on different parts of our day and share gifts from Mother Nature we are thankful for. We have a lot of returning students which made for a very engaging first moonup! Phillip arrived after dinner, and after being picked up from the airport he was able to join the boys tent at night, as everyone most of the campers fell asleep.
Day 2: The roosters woke us up bright and early for our first day of activities!!! At our campsite you would think the roosters and chicks are more common than squirrels in the United States. We went to the Marine Institute next to the aquarium and all the campers were in good spirits and had a great attitude about the conservation activity. We learned about sea turtles, coral, and the history of Maui. We primarily focused on the sea turtles as well as Hawaiian history. We had an activity where the students acted as the turtle rescuers and responded to a call and documented what they saw was wrong with each turtle. We then learned about coral and had an activity where the student students looked into different microscopes where they identified the different coral. Then, we walked through the aquarium and picked up trash along the water, which can ultimately help save the sea turtles. The highlight of the activity was seeing the sea turtles while we were walking along the water picking up trash. Afterwards we went to Costco for our first Costco trip with the kids. We did boys versus girls to see who could complete each grocery list the quickest. We cooked our first meal together, tacos, and taught them cooking basics and kitchen protocol. They killed it!
The “Leaders of the Day” (LODs) were Sydney and Jack, as they stood out as two students who were outstandingly inclusive, willing to branch out and make the best of the experience. They quickly helped the group manage an activity filled day and Costco logistics. Sydney and Jack made a real effort to bring the group together and were incredible LODs for the first day!!!!!
Day 3: Wakey wakey eggs and bakeyyyyy. We started the day with a big breakfast where Wayland and Jack cooked eggs and James cooked his first quesadillas, which he was proud of. We also dove into some bacon and waffles on the Coleman grill. We had to zip lining, which was an activity lots of campers said they were most excited for. The views were gorgeous, and everyone enjoyed their time, zip lining, and Teddy conquered his fear of heights! The longest zip line was 2,300ft and overlooked the entire island! The highlight was the last zip line course, as it was the fastest and everyone loved it! We were able to hike to a small bridge mid zip line that was also a highlight of the tour! After zip lining, we walked around the shops nearby where Sarah got her first shaved ice, and then we headed to a beach with big waves and pretty views. James and John Mills bodysurfed, the girls tanned and played in the waves, and we finished the day back at camp cooking cheeseburgers. We played multiple games of mafia and Teddy taught the card game Gin while hanging in the Enos. Our campsite is on the ocean, so as the night ends, we look out over the ocean in a circle for Moonup.
Day 4: We started the day off early with surfing in Kailua! We pranked the kids that we were hiking and surprised them when we pulled up to Kamala Park surf shack. All the kids caught waves, especially Robert (RAM) and Henry, as they were doing tricks on their boards- making 360s and Phillip and Teddy were doing headstands. Afterwards, we went into the town called Pa’ia and walked around the town, into different stores. Our afternoon activity was at Pono Grown Farm where we harvested carrots and sweet potatoes. The kids learned more about Farm life from Evan and finished off the conservation activity with the famous Pono farm water slide. Peppin loved the water slide, and she brought all the girls together by asking Evan if we could all go together! We ended the night eating quesadillas at the campsite!
The LODs today were Myers and Phillip. Phillip did an incredible job keeping the boys motivated during service. That afternoon, Myers and Teddy noticed the van was dirty after our long car rides. She took initiative in cleaning out our van for everyone. It is those little acts of kindness that show “expedition behavior”/EB that don’t go unnoticed and demonstrate strong leadership.
We are so proud of your kids and cannot wait to experience the rest of Maui with them! They are a blessing!
With love,
Holland Miller, Austin Edwards, and Mason Wellons
Here is a shoutout from the kids!
John Mills – Hey mom and dad I am having a lot of fun and I am exited for snorkeling can’t wait to see yall
Wayland-What’s up mom and dad Maui is really fun and we are about to go rappelling I’m excited to see yall
Robert (Ran)- hi mom and dad!!! I miss yall but I’m having tons of fun! And I got yall a souvenir which I can’t wait to show you guys!
Henry- Hey mom and dad, It has been a lot of fun so far in Maui, and we are about to go rappelling. I miss y’all a lot.
James- hey mom and dad I miss yall and I love yall can’t wait to see you
Peppin – Hey Mom and Dad! Love and miss yall so much, I am having a lot of fun and the weather has been great! Tell Abby and Declan I miss and love them. Also give swizzle and Bailey my love! Love yall!
Sarah- Hiiii mom dad Jack and Harrison (I forgot to say bye to H)!! I actually miss you guys so much (but Disco more no offense) I’m having so much fun and I love the girls in my group and we are abt to go rappelling rn! Love you guys so much see you soon!!!!!!!!
Sydney- HII Powell and mom and dad. I am having so so much fun! Powell please accept mason and hollands friend request. I’m so so glad I came! I love you guys so much and miss yall. See yall soon!
Myers- Hii mom and dad!!!!! I miss yall a lot a lot!!! I’m having so much fun! I LOVE the girls in my group!!! I’m having so much fun! Tell MB I said hey and I miss her! Tell hunter to accept mason and holland. Also tell my friends I miss them so much and I can’t wait to see them when I get home. Tell frank I said hey! I love yall so much and i am having a BLAST!!! Loveeee yalll!!!!!!
Jack- hey mom and dad, and Anne rush love y’all tell birdie I love her!
Theodora- Hii mom and dad!! I’m having a lot of fun. My friends are very nice. Also mom tell summer I miss her! Id say that abt lele but she’s at camp with gray.. idk if mom told you dad but we did the ziplining the other day and now I’m not afraid of heights I guess like kinda. We have showers so we get to shower every night. Any ways love you guys so much!!
Phillip- Hello parents, I’ve been showering twice a day I’m brushing my teeth and definitely wearing my rubber bands, tell daisy and Finn I said hey.
Safe Arrival!
June 24, 2026
Hello Maui Families!
We heard from our leaders last night that the group has landed safely in Maui! 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
