A dinner was organised to help fund the project. The dinner was on June 18th at Dantes Restaurant in Berwick. It was well organised by our family friend Sal with everyone enjoying themselves. The night was a huge success with a Vanuatu holiday being presented to us. The holiday package included return air fares, a weeks accommodation at the Warwick Le Lagon Resort and Spa on Efate Island, and two 1hr massages.
On the 9th September we headed to the airport for our first family holiday as four. It was sad but exciting at the same time. While waiting at the airport we started a massage train. By the time we were ready to board we had started to relax into holiday mode. The Baileys on the plane also helped me relax and brought back many wonderful memories of our honeymoon.
We arrived early on Friday 10th. We spent the day at the pool and exploring the resort. We didn't do anything too physical as we were tired from the late flight. We went for a little walk on the pier. The beaches were clear and blue. It was very relaxing.
On Saturday 11th. after a good nights sleep we went kayaking. We were in pairs (Luke with Adele and Erin and I). We kayaked to a little island just off from our resort and had a play on the sand. We had some races and kayaked under the pier. It was a lot of fun. We then relaxed by the pool. We had lunch around the pool and even ordered at the swim up bar. That afternoon the kids went to kids club and Luke and I used our massage vouchers at the Oasis Spa. They were just what the Dr ordered! While the kids were in kids club they made some grass skirts out of plastic bag type material. Adele still has hers hanging in her bedroom. That night after tea we witnessed a dance show. Young native girls were showing us their local dances. Some men also performed a few fire tricks. It was very impressive.
On Sunday we hired a car and toured the island. We went to Hertz and hired a Hyundai Getz. (I was obviously missing the little yellow car). The self drive island tour was a 130km round trip. We stocked up on some food and off we went. First stop was the Bluewater resort for shark and turtle feeding. It wasn't as impressive as it sounds but the kids still enjoyed it. We then made our way to Eton beach. The beach was worth the 1200vt commission. Whilst here we had a swim and ate our lunch. On the way out we passed over the Eton bridge and saw some small waterfalls. The next stop was the Beachcomber Hot Springs. They were hot! We kept in the cooler one of the two. From this part of the island there were great views of other islands in the area. The Girls made friends with 2 local girls and were playing for some time. We then continued on past the Havana World War II naval base and water reservoir. We saw some markets/stalls but we decided to just keep driving! The next stop Klems Hill. The view from the lookout was amazing. Like most places we paid a commission to be there but it was well worth it. There was a man with geckos. He was very friendly and great with the girls. Both girls got to hold the geckos. He was very interested in our story and couldn't get his head around the fact the holiday was a present. He thought we must have been lawyers or a business partner for Eaton Homes. That night the girls went to kids club again. They were excited about pig and turtle racing. They also watched a movie. We made the most of it and booked tea at the Wild Ginger Asian Fusion Restaurant. It was very nice.
Monday the 13th we explored the town. We went into Port Villa and ate at Cafe Deli. We also went to the markets. We bought some presents, clothes and the kids got their hair braided. We then went to the Mele Cascades. They had changed a lot from when Luke and I went there on our honeymoon but we found some familiar spots. We spent some time jumping off the rocks at the top into a pool. The kids were a little hesitant at first but we had been shown this by a local on our honeymoon so in I jumped. "If mum can do it, we can" and soon we were all jumping. It was a lot of fun. The girls also spent a lot of time playing and diving in the pool at the bottom.
The next day we flew to Tanna Island. I wanted to see the Volcano. We didn't get to fly there on the honeymoon so I wasn't missing out twice. It wasn't cheap 36900vt/adult and 24723Vt/kid) plus 800Vt depature tax VLI-TAH. But it was amazing. We departed at 8am in a small scarey plane arriving at Tanna at 10am. We had a Meet and Greet at the White Grass Airport and then made our way to
Lenakel Cove for refreshments and local produced snacks. We then departed for the Volcano. The kids were excited as they got to sit in the very back of an open 4WD as we drove up to the Volcano. On the approach steam was coming out of the road. It was amazing, The view from the crater top was an experience never to be forgotten. We then had a BBQ lunch and departed for Lenakel Cove Resort for drinks prior to flying back to Efate. We arrived back at 5pm. It was an amazing day.
Wednesday 15th was our last full day. We spent the day relaxing and playing by the pool. Adele was practicing her dives and became very good at them. We had lunch at the pool bbq and enjoyed the swim up bar once more. That night we saw a male tribal dance. The men danced around holding their spears and at the end they scared us. It was quite funny.
After a sleep we packed up all of our belongings to check out. We had transfers arranged to take us to the airport. We said goodbye to one of the workers who we had befriended on the Tanna Island Trip and left for Melbourne.
We had an awesome holiday. There was only one thing missing, Ethan!
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