Sydney, spectacularly draped around its glorious harbor and beaches, has visual wow factor like few other cities. Scratch the surface and it only gets better. National parks ring the city and penetrate right into its heart. Large chunks of harbor are still bush-fringed, while parks cut their way through skyscrapers and suburbs. Consequently, native critters turn up in the most surprising places. Clouds of flying foxes pass overhead at twilight and spend the night rustling around in suburban fig trees; oversized spiders stake out corners of lounge-room walls; possums rattle over roofs of terrace houses; and sulphur-crested cockatoos screech from the railings of urban balconies. At times Sydney's concrete jungle seems more like an actual one – and doesn't that just make it all the more exciting?

Sophisticated galleries, subtropical beaches, cool-climate vineyards: the greater Brisbane region delivers gasp-inducing contrasts. The region's star is Brisbane itself. Traditional home of the Jagera people, Queensland's capital has a flourishing restaurant, bar and cultural scene. Lapping at its eastern fringe is Moreton Bay, where low-lying sandy isles beckon with turquoise waves and passing parade of whales, turtles and dolphins. Head west from Brisbane and you'll hit the Darling Downs. Home to the Jagera, Giabal and Jarowair people for millennia, its main town is underrated Toowoomba, where heritage architecture and well-pruned gardens share the streets with smashing street art, specialist coffee shops and a growing number of fashionable eateries and bars.

Cairns (pronounced ‘cans’) has come a long way since its humble beginnings as a boggy swamp and rollicking goldfields port. As the number-one base for Far North Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef, today Cairns heaves under the weight of an ever-growing number of resorts, tour agencies, souvenir shops, backpacker bars and reef boats. This is a tourist town, and unashamedly so – luxury hotel development in 2018 and an increasingly busy cruise-ship port suggest it's only growing busier. Cairns, considered the gateway to Australia's Great Barrier Reef, is a city in tropical Far North Queensland. Its Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park tells the stories of indigenous Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with music and dance. Cairns Esplanade, lined with bars and restaurants, has a swimming lagoon. Northwest of the city, Daintree National Park spans mountainous rainforest, gorges and beaches.

The greater Auckland region encompasses the city proper and the gorgeous surrounding towns and landscapes. It's rare that visitors restrict themselves solely to the city area. And why would you? There's plenty to see and do right in the heart of the city, but travelling further afield opens the opportunities considerably. You can't miss getting out onto the waters of the Hauraki Gulf and exploring its many islands. One of the closest to the mainland is Waiheke Island, home to emerald waters and world-class wineries. Further north lies Goat Island Marine Reserve, a thriving and accessible aquatic ecosystem. Auckland, based around 2 large harbors, is a major city in the north of New Zealand’s North Island. In the center, the iconic Sky Tower has views of Viaduct Harbor, which is full of superyachts and lined with bars and cafes. Auckland Domain, the city’s oldest park, is based around an extinct volcano and home to the formal Wintergardens. Near Downtown, Mission Bay Beach has a seaside promenade. The natural delights on offer go beyond the area's beautiful waters. Rainforests, thermal springs, sprawling parks and volcanic cones are just the start.

Catch a whiff of Rotorua’s sulphur-rich air and you’ve already had an introduction to NZ’s most dynamic geothermal area. The Maori revered this place, naming one of the most spectacular springs Wai-O-Tapu (Sacred Waters). Today 34% of the population is Maori, with cultural performances and traditional hangi (steam-cooked banquets) as big an attraction as the landscape itself. Rotorua, a town set on its namesake lake on New Zealand's North Island, is renowned for its geothermal activity and Maori culture. In Te Puia’s Whakarewarewa Valley, there are bubbling mud pools and the 30m-tall Pohutu Geyser, which erupts many times daily. It’s also home to a living Maori village and the New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute, with traditional wood carving and weaving schools. The pervasive eggy odour hasn't prevented ‘Sulphur City’ becoming one of the most touristy spots on the North Island. Some say this steady trade has seduced the town into resting on its laurels while its famous attractions perpetually hike up their prices. It's certainly true that Rotorua's dining and bar scene lags well behind nearby Tauranga and Taupo. While the urban fabric of ‘RotoVegas’ isn't particularly appealing, where else can you see steam casually wafting out of drains and mud boiling in public parks?

Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, sits near the North Island’s southernmost point on the Cook Strait. A compact city, it encompasses a waterfront promenade, sandy beaches, a working harbor and colorful timber houses on surrounding hills. From Lambton Quay, the iconic red Wellington Cable Car heads to the Wellington Botanic Gardens. Strong winds through the Cook Strait give it the nickname ""Windy Wellington."" On a sunny, windless day, Wellington is up there with the best of them. For starters it’s lovely to look at, sitting on a hook-shaped harbor ringed with ranges that wear a cloak of snow in winter. Victorian timber architecture laces the bushy hillsides above the harbor, which resonate with native birdsong. As cities go, it's really rather small but the compact nature of the downtown area gives it a bigger-city buzz and, being the capital, it's endowed with museums, theatres, galleries and arts organizations completely disproportionate to its size.

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