Auckland, New Zealand

Auckland, New Zealand's biggest and most diverse city, sprawls across a narrow isthmus between two harbours — the Waitematā on the Pacific side and the Manukau on the Tasman — and its love of the water has earned it the nickname the 'City of Sails', with more boats per head than almost anywhere on earth. Built on a field of around fifty volcanoes, the city is studded with grassy volcanic cones whose craters and summits give superb panoramas: Mount Eden (Maungawhau), the highest, and One Tree Hill (Maungakiekie) in its large parkland are the favourites, with the harbour, the islands and the suburbs spread below. The waterfront is the city's heart — the Viaduct Harbour and Wynyard Quarter, lined with marinas, bars and restaurants, beneath the soaring Sky Tower, the tallest structure in the southern hemisphere (with observation decks and the SkyJump for the brave). But Auckland's greatest asset is its setting: the island-dotted Hauraki Gulf is a short ferry ride away, offering the vineyards and beaches of Waiheke Island, the volcanic cone of Rangitoto, and the bird sanctuary of Tiritiri Matangi, while the wild west coast — the black-sand surf beaches of Piha and Karekare beneath the rainforested Waitākere Ranges — and the calmer eastern bays (Mission Bay, the North Shore beaches) provide year-round escapes. Auckland is also the largest Polynesian city in the world, with a rich Māori and Pacific Island culture reflected in its festivals (like Pasifika), its food and the superb Māori and Pacific collections of the Auckland War Memorial Museum. A multicultural, food-loving, outdoorsy city, it makes the natural gateway to the North Island's wonders — the Bay of Islands, the geothermal wonderland of Rotorua, the glow-worm caves of Waitomo, Hobbiton and the Coromandel beaches all within reach. Auckland's mild, sometimes changeable climate is pleasant year-round, with warm summers (December to March) best for the beaches and islands.