Earl and Zebbra Corbin-Rodgers, Retired, LADWP, Club Members, celebrated 30 years with friends in Australia and New Zealand.
– By Earl Rodgersa
In late September, we began an amazing 16 days; the first three nights we stayed in Cairns, Australia. We boarded a catamaran cruise to the Green Island and Great Barrier Reef, where we toured on a glass-bottomed boat and snorkeled observing a spectacular variety of colorful fish and coral. The next day we toured “Hartley’s Crocodile Adventure, a crocodile-infested river observing large crocs catapulting from the water snatching food the tour guide dangled over them with a rope and pole. There we also observed, fed and petted kangaroos, koalas and wombats. We experienced a taste of crocodile during lunch.
Next, we flew to Uluru in Central Australia. We stayed one night there and visited the famous Ayers Rock. Our last stop in Australia was Sydney, where we stayed two nights. Upon entering our hotel, we had a wonderful surprise visit from friends and favorite couple, Trinh Nguyen and Aditya Sharma, our friends from the Cali Passport Posse and former LADWP colleagues! We toured Sydney’s famous Opera House, the Harbor Bridge and many other sights while there.
Then we flew to the island country of New Zealand. We stayed in Auckland, often called the City of Sails for two nights. To our surprise again, Trinh and Aditya met us while taking a ferry to explore the delightful Waiheke Island with its vineyards, olive groves and pristine beaches. We learned about wine production followed by a wide range of wine tasting, yea!
Next, we traveled south through the fer- tile plains staying two nights in Rotorua, famously known for its geothermal activity. There we traveled to Matamata, home of the “Hobbiton” movie set, made famous in The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. It was amazing! We later witnessed erupting geothermal activity and the thermal springs. We also learned the unique lifestyles and traditions of the Maori people living in harmony with this unique environment. We learned of the plight of New Zealand’s symbol, the flightless Kiwi bird. Our final destination was three days in Queenstown. Remarkably, our hotel was on a street that bore my name, “Earl”! While there, we took a four-hour bus ride to Milford Sound, World Heritage Fordland National Park with dense rainforest, lakes and waterfalls before embarking on a river cruise out into the fjord. Zebbra and I later took a very scenic flight back to Queenstown.
On our final days we ventured on the Skyline Gondola to Bob’s Peak and a Skippers Canyon tour that landed us on one of the top 10 most dangerous roads in the world! The roads were on sheer cliffsides of the Shot over River Valley, where goldmining took place and many beautiful sights were observed.
This entire Australia and New Zealand experience was a fantastic and exceptional travel adventure while we celebrated our 30 years of marriage.
