Blog

As the Hawaii Program is nearing its end this Fall, students are looking back and reflecting on their last 10 weeks of traveling around, volunteering and team bonding. Read all about Lauren Castleman's discoveries and realizations about herself and her time on program in this week's blog!   During these past nine weeks in Hawaii, I’ve been able to explore the Pacific. Traipsing around the islands of Oahu and Hawaii, I gained a deeper understanding of Hawaiian culture a… Read more

The Hawaii Gap Year Students (Group 3) started their adventures on the Big Island a few weeks ago, and used some hands-on risk assessment techniques on their first hikes. Read all about journey to becoming a more positive group that's confident with outdoor exploration.   Our first hike started perfectly. The trail winded down into the valley underneath a completely clear sky and overlooked an incredible view of the outskirts of the island with the scattered buildings… Read more

Most of you don’t know who I am, my name is Alexa Northrop and I’m part of the Hawaii Semester Program. We’ve been here for about two weeks now and it’s been a wild trip! We started in Kona, where we went on a massive thigh/glute-building hike with beautiful views of the island shore where we snorkeled. We also went for coffee which was such a delightful treat in the morning before our activities, and before you ask, yes the coffee here is pretty amazing with such deep … Read more

The Essential Hawaii Packing List by Avery Barakett (Hawaii Summer Program 2021)Whether you’re the type of person to start packing a month in advance or the night before your trip, here are the items you don’t want to forget. This list has been compiled by previous Pacific Discovery students (who wish you an amazing time in Hawaii)! 1. Sweats - Hawaii has 10 of the world’s 14 climate zones. Drifting in and out of sleep during an hour-long car ride feels like teleportati… Read more

Lets see a run down of our highlights of the week from one of our Hawaii Programs! Thank you for sharing Hawaii E! Connor  Who is that up there Is that a dominant manWhat is he doing  Evan I got the chance to go skydiving. It was one of the most insane moments of my life and the 60 seconds of free fall felt like 10. It’s something I’m so happy I did, and I can’t wait to try it again. Grayson  This evening we went to China Falls and we had quite the experience. W… Read more

Our first few weeks on Hawai'iThe first night of the program, we all talked and got to know each other at Pineapple Park Hostel in Kona. Then we had a birthday party for Anna, except there was a mixup and it wasn’t really her birthday, so we celebrated the birth of the group instead. We did orientation for the next few days and played getting to know you games. We got to go to some beaches too! One was a white sand beach, and two were rocky and perfect for snorkeling (on… Read more

What's happening over in Hawaii? We touched base with student leaders of the week Elliot and Ryan to find out what they got up... "We crammed into the van, drove down a long bumpy dirt road and arrived at a beautiful white sand beach, a day trip to Makalawena Beach planned by Elliot, situated under the doming masses of Mauna Kea. The waves were majestic and perfect for the group to boogie board. Afterwards, we headed to another white sand beach that was really a blend o… Read more

Hawaii Group A continue their adventures with Big Island Farms... "Our first day at Big Island farms started with an early morning wakeup. For many of us, it was the first time sleeping in cabins in a sleeping bag. We began our first full day at the farm with a briefing on permaculture farming from one of the interns Hailey. She explained that permaculture farming revolves around the idea of working with nature instead of against it. She introduced the idea of a closed … Read more

What's going on in Hawaii? We touched base with Grace and Leah to find out what the second week had instore for Hawaii Group A! "Our second week was spent in Pahala doing conservation work. We split into two groups -- one group went back to Onekahakaha Beach Park to continue removing the branches from beneath a very large tree. Although it was a lot of work, we loved talking to Leomana, our contact with County Parks, about the meaning of life and how to live it to the f… Read more

Our Hawaii Semester Programs are officially underway for Fall 2020! We caught up with Group A program instructors Pete and Gabby to give us an update on their first week out of quarantine....  "After receiving free-to-go calls from the State of Hawaii quarantine police, we spent our first day learning about ocean safety and Hawaiian culture from a few guest speakers from Hilo, then spent the afternoon at a couple of beaches only a short walk away (Keaukaha and Onekahaka… Read more