A holiday wish comes true

After a tumultuous year of ill health, David Louwrens has received the ultimate prize - a family trip to the Gold Coast.

Mr Louwrens, an IT Specialist at Otumoetai Primary School, was presented as the winner of The Bay of Plenty Times holiday competition yesterday at morning tea.

As Mr Louwrens, 68, discovered he was the winner, he began to smile with delight and shed a tear.

"I was overwhelmed and I wanted to cry," he said. "This is fantastic."

The presentation came as a big surprise to Mr Louwrens.

"I was sick last year and had to take six months off, so I thought that they were celebrating that I was getting better."

The Bay of Plenty Times home subscribers competition ran for three months, and received nearly 30,000 entries.

Subscribers to the paper could enter as many times as they wished, by post or online.

"When I saw the competition, I thought I would go for it. My wife and I would love a holiday so we thought we would give it a go," Mr Louwrens said.

Mr Louwrens entered as often as he could, hoping he would be the lucky winner.

"I entered every day because I thought the more I entered, the more chances I had. Sometimes I entered in twice a day. I really wanted to win."

As the winner, Mr Louwrens will receive a trip to the Gold Coast, accommodation at Sea World Resort and Water Park, with passes to the Warner Bros. Movie World , Wet n'Wild Water World, Paradise Country and Australian Outback evening dinner show.

Mr Louwrens and his wife, Fran, are looking forward to the holiday, especially the attractions.

"I love flying, and I will love to go to the Australian Outback show, and I love Movie World."

The next challenge will be deciding which grandchild will join them. Luckily, Mr Louwrens has nearly a year to make the trip.