THE CITY BREAKS

North Island Auckland

New Zealand’s biggest city is its most beguiling metropolis. Hang out at a cool café in the Wynyard Quarter, explore Waitematā Harbour on a former America’s Cup yacht or walk to the top of Auckland’s highest natural point, Maungawhau (Mount Eden), and watch the boats from above. The new ultrasustainable Hotel Britomart (thehotelbritomart.com) is the stuff of interior-design dreams – exposed brickwork, wood panelling, marble finishes and soft bouclé furnishings – with chic guestrooms stealing views of the harbour and Takutai Square, the heart of the neighbourhood.

South Island Dunedin

Built on the edge of an ancient volcanic crater using spoils from the gold rush, Dunedin has always made the most of nature’s riches. Grand Victorian mansions, ornate gardens and soaring neo-Gothic spires grace the shores of Otago Harbour, which offers up its own gems – the salmon and Blue Moki you’ll find in local restaurants and at Otago Farmers Market every Saturday. After delving into the buzzing Warehouse Precinct, rest up at the new Ebb-Dunedin (ebb-dunedin.co.nz), a sleek glass-fronted hotel that suits the city to a tee, its interiors inspired by the land, sea and sky.