A short ferry ride away from Auckland lies Waiheke Island, a popular weekend escape for affluent city-dwellers. You can swim off the white sandy beaches, hike along scenic trails, sample the local wines and check out the excellent restaurants, art galleries and boutiques.

New Zealand’s cosmopolitan capital is arguably the country’s most likeable city. Hemmed in by forest-clad hills, Wellington is compact and easily walkable, with a lovely waterfront area where you’ll find the must-see Te Papa national museum. The city is also renowned for its strong winds, so make sure you hold on to your hat!

The pleasant little town of Picton, situated on a sheltered bay at the north eastern tip of the South Island, is the arrival point for ferries arriving from Wellington, and serves as the gateway to the stunning flooded river valleys of the Marlborough Sounds.

Kaikoura sits amongst spectacular South Island scenery, and is renowned as a marine wildlife hotspot. The meeting of subtropical and cold southern ocean currents sustains an abundance of species including sperm whales, orcas, pilot whales, humpbacks, dolphins and seals, as well as birds including albatross, shearwaters and penguins.

A garden city where punts glide down the Avon River, you’d be forgiven for thinking you were still in the UK when arriving into Christchurch, New Zealand’s most English of cities.

Situated halfway between Christchurch and Dunedin on the east coast of the South Island, the pleasant town of Timaru has a well-preserved Edwardian centre, some interesting museums and galleries, a good range of shops and a nice coastal park along Caroline Bay.

Stewart Island is New Zealand’s rarely visited third island. A landscape of lush rainforest and beautiful beaches is home to abundant birdlife, and it’s one of the best places in the country to see kiwis in the wild. You can also have a drink at New Zealand’s southernmost pub in Oban, the only town on the island.

Milford Sound is New Zealand’s most iconic sight, a breathtaking fjord crowned by the soaring Mitre Peak. Despite a remote location, on the western coast of the South Island, the fjord attracts thousands of visitors every year, such is the beauty of this raw and unspoilt landscape.

Culturally sophisticated and fashionably hip, Melbourne combines edgy street art with gold rush era architecture while offering excellent restaurants and top museums. If you have time, check out some of Victoria's other attractions, including the beautiful 12 Apostles and the excellent wines of the Yarra Valley.

Just along the coast from Melbourne lies Phillip Island, famous as the home of the world’s smallest penguins. Little penguins are present here year-round, and their numbers swell in summer. The evening parade, when the penguins waddle up the beach to the safety of their nests, is the highlight of any visit.

The sleepy town of Eden, on the beautiful and unspoilt Sapphire Coast, was once an important whaling town. Nowadays the waters of Twofold Bay are a whale watching hotspot, and this is one of the best places in the world to see humpback whales during their spring migration.