Grand Wailea Brings Adventure to Life at Camp Grande with New Wildness Survival Program

With the continued interest in this type of programming, Grand Wailea, a Waldorf Astoria Resort on Maui, has created a “Wilderness Survival Program,” a creative experience of hands-on courses designed to train for survival and endurance while learning about Hawaiian culture at the same time.

Children ages five and up can put their own skills to the test at Grand Wailea and learn skill sets like camouflage, cardio endurance, swimming skills, living off the land and archery at Camp Grande, the hotel's 20,000-square-foot family-friendly facility filled with gaming lounges. Participants can check in with their “sponsor,” who will be readily available to guide them throughout their journey. Activities to be completed include:

Endurance: The Fishpipe

Thousands of kids (and sometimes adults) come from all over the country to tackle the Fishpipe challenge. The Fishpipe is the world's first rotating barrel ride, safe for up to three riders to slip and slide together with a top speed of 11 feet per second, allowing riders to slide further than the longest water-slide in the world. 90 seconds in the Fishpipe equates to a mile long water slide, the perfect test of endurance for tributes.

Ready, Aim, Fire!: Archery Practice

Next, teens will be invited to try their hand at archery practice with a state of the art electronic archery set video game.

Living off the Land: Food Sourcing

When stuck on an island, one has to make do with what is readily available. Teens will learn in this class how Hawaiians' ancestors revered the coconut because upon arriving at an island, if a coconut could grow, this meant the land was livable. From a coconut, a person can drink the water, which contains electrolytes and can replenish those lost from working in the hot sun; the flesh of the coconut is meaty and edible; and the shells are hard enough to be used as building tools. Catching one's own food is also a helpful skill to have so teens will be able to catch and release their own a'ama crab as well as learn about edible and non-edible plants through the resort's Botanical Tour.

Camouflage

Also important when stranded on an island is to blend in with surroundings as to not attract predators. Teens will learn camouflage skills through Camp Grande's Pa'u painting class, Henna Body Art and tie dye shirt making, incorporating colors and designs that blend in with the island's lush environment.

Swimming Skills

Grand Wailea's 2,000 foot long, 25,700 square foot, 770,000-gallon Wailea Canyon Activity Pool has more of an aquatic theme park vibe than just an average pool and can provide hours of entertainment as well as cardio. It consists of nine pools that are connected by a river that carries swimmers along at varying speeds, from whitewater rapids to lazy currents. Wailea Canyon also has four waterslides, a whitewater rapids slide, a Tarzan pool with rope swing, and the world's first water elevator at the center of a multilevel volcano – just sit on the inner tube that rises and descends with the water level.

“With the pop culture excitement these days around media that focuses on wilderness survival skills and the fact that the second ‘Hunger Games' movie due out this fall was filmed on Maui, Grand Wailea was inspired to put forth a creative program for children and teens for an experience they can't get elsewhere on Maui,” said Matt Bailey, managing director.

Kids interested in the Wilderness Survival Program can visit Camp Grande open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily. A full day of fun at Camp Grande is $125 per child (includes lunch and snack), half-day morning session $75 per child (includes lunch), half-day afternoon session $65 per child (includes snack) and an evening session costs $95 per child (includes dinner and snack). All afternoon activities include swimming at the activity pool, lazy river, slides, Tarzan swing, water elevator and Fish Pipe. To book a Maui retreat at the Grand Wailea, guests may call 800.232.4604 or visit www.grandwailea.com for more information on Camp Grande.