Auckland

Beyond the city skyline, Auckland accommodation runs from beach houses at Orewa down to the rural Āwhitu Peninsula. The region takes in two harbours, black-sand west coast beaches, vineyard country and the islands of the Hauraki Gulf.

Waiheke Island sits forty minutes out by ferry, vineyards and walking tracks strung between its bays. On the mainland, Kumeū holds the western wine country, a short drive from the gannet colony on the cliffs at Muriwai.

Distances out here are longer than the map suggests, so most visitors pick one side and stay put. Apartments and townhouses cover a night or two in the city, while baches and cottages further out trade the traffic for a beach at the end of the road.