My Surprise Holiday!

Day 1 Monday: Sydney

“Surprise we are going on a holiday”! Said my Mum and Dad as me and my sister entered the car thinking we were getting sushi. “Where are we going”? We asked. “Sydney.” My mum said. My sister and I were so excited. After that, we got to the airport and boarded our plane. Once we got to Sydney a guy asked my mum. “Why are you only staying in Sydney for one day”? My sister and I were both extremely confused. My mum said back to him “We are going on a cruise”. My mum said trying to be quiet so my sister and I couldn't hear her. My sister and I were now extremely excited. We left the airport and went to the train station. Once we got there, my auntie came and picked us up. We went to her house and played with our cousins until we had to go to bed.

Day 2 Tuesday: Boarding the boat

Today is the day we boarded our cruise. Our cruise had 2 water slides, a flying fox, 9 pools, laser tag and much more. But sadly we could not do any of this today because it was raining. So all we could really do was wait for the boat to start but that was so boring. We went outside to watch the boat start even though it was raining. After that, we went and had dinner I had fish and chips and Fanta.

But then we found out that we were heading for a storm so of course a lot of people were spewing and I was one of them. Then straight after that I just fell asleep.

Day 3 Wednesday: At sea

Today was my dads birthday so at about 8 in the morning we took him to breakfast and gave him some presents. Also today it was not raining so we could do some of the activities. So today we did the mechanical bull, flying fox and laser tag. I got 32 seconds on the mechanical bull and beat an adult. The flying fox was fun and my team came first in laser tag. After that, we went to this place on the boat called kids club. Kids club is a place where parents drop their kids off so they can do there own thing but luckily me, my sister and my older cousin could sign ourselves out. So after we got bored we signed ourselves out and went and looked for our parents and of course, they were at the bar. So after that, we went to a show which involved a turtle called TC and a shark called Skipper. Then we went out for dinner at a place called Angelos and I got a chicken burger and for dessert, I got 3 Ice cream. So once we were done me, my dad and cousin watched the movie School of Rock outside on the big screen.

Day 4 Thursday: At sea

Today we got up and at about 9:30 we went and did virtual reality. I got to go first I did pretty well. Woosh! My dad and I were laying down on a seat when suddenly a man ran over to where we were and said: “ look there’s a whale”. My dad and I quickly got off our seat and looked around and then we saw it, a baby whale. It was jumping out of the water and spraying water out of his hole. Once the whale went away I had to go and do rock climbing. I didn’t manage to get to the top but I got pretty close. Not long after that, we went on the flying fox. It was so fun. After that, we did laser tag again and my team came first again.

Day 5 Friday: At sea

Today we went out on the deck and watched Aladdin on the massive screen. While it was on we went on some water slide. It was the fastest water slide I have ever been on. After that, we hopped in the pool and watched some Aladdin. Then we did this thing called slackline surfing. It was ok but it was probably the worst one. Later that day we did this thing called walk the plank. It was like a plank on a pirate ship. When it was my turn the wind picked up and it was so scary. It felt so good to get that over and done with. Then we had dinner and went to bed.

Day 6 Saturday: Port Vila, Vanuatu

Today was our first island Port Vila in Vanuatu. When we got off the boat we saw so many shops selling all sorts of stuff. After we got through all of the shops we had to find our driver. His name was William. William told us all about the country and his culture. First, we went to a lake which had a rope swing. Me, my sister and my older cousin loved it. Then we went on some buggies which were the most fun thing in the world.  On the way back we got to look at this massive crab and 3 snakes in a cage but then my dad and I saw a snake in the wild. At the next place, we had lunch and did a bit of snorkelling. But then we got to feed turtles and hold turtles. They were so cute and I held a snake. At the next place I went snorkelling and that was cool. After that, we went back to the boat for dinner.

Day 7 Sunday: Port Vila, Vanuatu

Today we were still in Vanuatu so all we did was go buy some things from the shops. I got a towel and a turtle keyring. Kyla got her hair braided. After that, my dad and I played chess and I beat him 2 times. Then we went on the flying fox again that was fun. We had a lazy day on the boat.

Day 8 Monday: Lifou, New Caledonia

Today we were in Lifou in New Caledonia. First, we went snorkelling and saw a heap of fish. Then we went for a walk and then decided to go back for lunch. After we had lunch, we tried to find our cousins and it turned out they were on the island so we went back and played on the beach for a bit. Once we were done doing that we went back but on our way back we saw a turtle in the wild. When we were back on the boat me and my dad played chess and I beat him two times again.

Day 9 Tuesday: Isle Of Pines, New Caledonia

Today we were in Isle Of Pines. Once we got off the boat, we were heading down to the beach, when we spotted a scary native man. He was advertising a tour. The tour was travelling to different places and swimming with turtles. Dad and I decided to go. We jumped on a boat with some people and went to a place where there was a massive turtle. We jumped in and went swimming with it. The turtle was 30 years old and the same size as me. After that, we went to a small island and went snorkelling. We saw a really big hermit crab. After snorkelling, we went back to the main island and found my cousins on the beach. After that, we went back to the ship and did the Titanic Experience at the front of the ship. We went to a restaurant called Dragon Lady for dinner. It was Asian. I ate prawns.

Day 10 Wednesday: At sea

Today at 9:00, dad and I went on the water slides. After that, I did rock climbing this time I got to the top twice. We also did the flying fox again. Tonight was Gatsby night so we had to dress like we were in the 1920s. We had dinner at a place called the Waterfront. It was yummy.

Day 11 Thursday: At sea

Today was our last day on the boat. My dad and I played chess again and I beat him 2 times again. Later that day we did the flying fox again. Not that long after that, we went to the Time to Shine talent show which is a heap of kids showing their talent. Later that night my dad and I went to a rock concert. It was really cool.

Day 12 Friday: Christchurch

Today we were back in Sydney so all we did was walk around and tried to find something to do. We eventually had lunch. Then we went to the airport and went into the Air New Zealand lounge. Once our plane was ready to board we hopped on and flew to Christchurch.

This holiday was the best holiday ever.

By Cooper Cowles