New Zealand’s friendly capital city features gaily painted old wooden houses and a red cable car that takes you up to the Wellington Botanic Gardens and a fine view of the harbor. A must-see is the engaging Te Papa Museum. Sample shore excursions: The Best of Wellington’s Pubs; Boomrock Escape; Lord of the Rings – on Location.

Site of fierce Maori wars, Tauranga today is a peaceful city in the heart of kiwifruit-growing country. Farther afield: Rotorua, with its spouting geysers and bubbling mud pools, the Waitomo Glow Worm Caves and nocturnal kiwi houses. Sample shore excursions: Fascinating Rotorua; Longridge Park & Jetboat Ride; Maori Marae Visit.

New Zealand’s biggest city deserves more than a layover. Auckland is multicultural and cosmopolitan, with sizeable Polynesian, Asian and Maori populations enriching its history and broadening the palate. Internationally known chefs and fashion designers have made neighborhoods like Ponsonby, Newmarket and Parnell world-class destinations for shopping and dining.

You’re never far from water attractions in New Zealand—and this is especially true in Auckland where it’s not unheard of for downtown workers to go kayaking on their lunch break. The once-gritty port has been transformed into inviting public spaces and buzzing nightclubs, with sailboat charters and regular ferry connections waiting to whisk visitors around the harbor for sightseeing.

Start your day sipping a flat white while you plan your explorations: art gallery crawl, winery tour or volcano hike? It’s possible to do all three without losing sight of the Sky Tower, one of Auckland’s top tourist attractions, from which you can get a bird’s-eye view of the gateway to Aotearoa.

New Zealand’s biggest city deserves more than a layover. Auckland is multicultural and cosmopolitan, with sizeable Polynesian, Asian and Maori populations enriching its history and broadening the palate. Internationally known chefs and fashion designers have made neighborhoods like Ponsonby, Newmarket and Parnell world-class destinations for shopping and dining.

You’re never far from water attractions in New Zealand—and this is especially true in Auckland where it’s not unheard of for downtown workers to go kayaking on their lunch break. The once-gritty port has been transformed into inviting public spaces and buzzing nightclubs, with sailboat charters and regular ferry connections waiting to whisk visitors around the harbor for sightseeing.

Start your day sipping a flat white while you plan your explorations: art gallery crawl, winery tour or volcano hike? It’s possible to do all three without losing sight of the Sky Tower, one of Auckland’s top tourist attractions, from which you can get a bird’s-eye view of the gateway to Aotearoa.

Historic sites—including the place where the most important treaty in New Zealand’s history was signed—winemaking, golfing, sailing and scenic beauty all combine to make the Bay of Islands one of this South Pacific nation’s most compelling regions. Located at the top of the North Island, the area has a subtropical microclimate that gives it an abundance of flora and fauna and a lengthy beach season. Comprising 144 islands between Cape Brett and the Purerua Peninsula, the Bay of Islands requires a few days to fully explore. Visitors with just a day here will have to make a tough choice: cultural immersion, nature appreciation or wining-dining-shopping. Waitangi, home to both the cruise port and the region’s historic treaty grounds, is one of three main towns with celebrated sights. The others are Kerikeri, with its historic buildings and vineyards, and Russell, where a notorious seafaring past has mellowed into tidy, day-trip-worthy charm. Those who’d rather experience the Bay of Islands’ breathtaking nature can walk amid majestic kauri trees, descend into glowworm caves or spy on whales and dolphins (or even swim with the latter) in one of New Zealand’s sunniest and most picturesque playgrounds.

Unique in many ways, Tonga is the only country in the South Pacific that has never been colonized. The secret to this tiny kingdom’s lasting autonomy lies with its monarchy – rich in culture and tradition; unafraid to modernize and move forward. You’ll find Nuku’alofa on the isle of Tongatapu – the largest of the 171 island jewels in the Tongan crown. Hopefully the Tongan people, cheerful and welcoming, will treat you to a version of the lakalaka – their compelling art of storytelling manifested in a breathtaking dance.

When Captain James Cook first sailed to Tahiti in 1769, he and his crew all thought they’d found paradise. Cook hinted at it in his journals, in coy language that would have been acceptable in his day; his men felt considerably less reserve, and returned home sporting tattoos and stories of a people who ate what fell from trees, and lived lives of freedom unknown in Europe. All without much need for clothes.

Although all of French Polynesia is sometimes referred to as Tahiti, Tahiti proper is only one island, ringed by a reef that turns the water shades of blue even sapphires can’t come near. Rivers flow down from its high peaks, and every night, the sun goes down behind the neighboring island of Moorea, outlining the mountains like a laser show.

Papeete, the capital of French Polynesia, is a bustling business and government center, with black-pearl shops on almost every corner. As you move into the countryside, time starts to slip, and it’s just the changeless ocean and the almost unchanged forests—and much the same sensation that made Cook think he’d found heaven on earth.

When Captain James Cook first sailed to Tahiti in 1769, he and his crew all thought they’d found paradise. Cook hinted at it in his journals, in coy language that would have been acceptable in his day; his men felt considerably less reserve, and returned home sporting tattoos and stories of a people who ate what fell from trees, and lived lives of freedom unknown in Europe. All without much need for clothes.

Although all of French Polynesia is sometimes referred to as Tahiti, Tahiti proper is only one island, ringed by a reef that turns the water shades of blue even sapphires can’t come near. Rivers flow down from its high peaks, and every night, the sun goes down behind the neighboring island of Moorea, outlining the mountains like a laser show.

Papeete, the capital of French Polynesia, is a bustling business and government center, with black-pearl shops on almost every corner. As you move into the countryside, time starts to slip, and it’s just the changeless ocean and the almost unchanged forests—and much the same sensation that made Cook think he’d found heaven on earth.

Shaped like a heart and crowned with emerald-green spires, Moorea is easy to love. The Magical Island, as it’s nicknamed, is celebrated for its untamed landscape and symmetrical side-by-side bays (called Opunohu and Cook’s); it was said to be the inspiration for the mythical isle of Bali Hai in James Michener’s Tales of the South Pacific. Its languid lagoon seems without end, wrapping this 132-square-kilometer (50-square-mile) isle in shades of liquid blue, from pale aqua to intense turquoise. Dolphins and stingrays glide through the waves alongside snorkelers and divers exploring the stunning undersea scene. Venture inland to the valleys and another aspect of island life becomes clear: agricultural abundance, with crops that include pineapples, bananas, taro, sugarcane, coffee and cotton. Moorea has shopping, too, mainly for lustrous Tahitian black pearls and brightly patterned pareus (wraparound skirts).

Wherever you head, you’ll find the South Pacific you have dreamed of, moving to the leisurely pace of island time. It can be hard to believe Moorea is just 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Tahiti’s bustling capital, Papeete.

Arriving by sea, you’ll experience the innumerable shades of blue that are the lagoon encircling Fakarava, one of the largest atolls in French Polynesia’s Tuamotu Archipelago. Once you step ashore, you’ll notice the beaches alternate between whitest white and palest pink sand, with a backdrop of coconut trees swaying gently in the tropical breeze. And while this pristine paradise—which counts only around 800 residents on an island 60 kilometers (37 miles) long and 21 kilometers (13 miles) wide—has a healthy tourism industry, it’s also a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. That designation means Fakarava, as well as its six neighboring atolls, are entirely protected—both onshore and in the surrounding waters. No wonder then that Fakarava is famous for its incredible snorkeling and diving. A lagoon excursion, which also spirits you to the atoll’s most beautiful beach—one accessible only by boat—is a great way to complete your Seven Seas fantasy.

The dramatic landscape of the Marquesas is like nowhere else in French Polynesia. Formed by volcanoes, islands like Nuku Hiva—home to the charming port town of Taiohae—don’t have a barrier reef or lagoon to protect them. As such, the sea crashes directly up onto the shore, creating wild scenery that has inspired artists and writers from Paul Gauguin to Herman Melville.

At the base of craggy, soaring peaks, Taiohae may be the main “city” in this far-flung island group, but don’t expect tall buildings or massive resorts. Instead, Taiohae has a peaceful village vibe with an air of tropical languor. There’s not much to do other than wander and shop. And shop you should, as the Marquesans are known for their excellent handicrafts. On Nuku Hiva you’ll find skilled carvers working in wood, bone and volcanic stone to create true pieces of art.

Beyond Taiohae are opportunities to explore Nuku Hiva’s wild interior—replete with sharp basalt pinnacles and lush, green river valleys—by either horseback or on foot.

Easygoing San Diego embodies the Southern California surfer town fantasy, with its more than 300 days of sun, mild year-round temperatures and accessible, sporty pastimes and tourist attractions. Cruise to San Diego and hike the Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve to get a glimpse of whale migrations, go sailing in the bay and, of course, surf the famous swells of Del Mar, Oceanside and La Jolla (among many other superb spots). Cruise from San Diego and explore the sixth-largest city in the United States. Discover San Diego’s distinctive neighborhoods on a San Diego shore excursion. Visit Old Town, North Park, Point Loma and Coronado are all within a few miles of the port, while the bustling Gaslamp Quarter and Little Italy are within walking distance.

And while there are lots of things to do for everyone on a San Diego Cruise—from visiting the country’s largest urban park to taking in the famous horse-racing season in Del Mar to riding the charming Old Town Trolley—definitely don’t pass up the chance to investigate San Diego’s quickly growing reputation as a culinary destination. Its inventive new restaurants and huge craft-brewing industry are something to be explored.