New Zealand

A city of stunning natural beauty, Auckland blends the best of the modern cosmopolitan world with that of a Polynesian paradise. Nestled between two beautiful harbors, this marine playground offers breathtaking views and more than 1,000 bays and beaches. Shop the colorful Victorian Park Market or the charming boutiques of Parnell Village. Explore museums brimming with artifacts of the Maori culture. Or enjoy the natural splandor of the city, from English-style rose gardens to extinct volcanic sites. Popular landmarks are One Tree Hill and Mount Eden.

The ‘Bay of Islands’ was how Cook described the area two centuries ago, and the simplicity of his name masks the diversity of its charm.The subtleties of its attraction lie as much in the graceful fusion of sea with land as in the manoeuvres of Man – of Maori, whaler, missionary, and later, settler. The Bay, studded with over 150 islands, is a ‘drowned river system’, an area where the sea has invaded and drowned a number of river valleys. Its sheltered waters offer some of the finest boating and fishing to be found anywhere, and the menus of local restaurants reflect the abundance of marine life in the Bay.

Melbourne, (mèl´bern) city (1991 est. pop. 3,153,500), capital of Victoria, SE Australia, on Port Phillip Bay, at the mouth of the Yarra R. Australia’s second largest city, it is a commercial and industrial center with such manufactures as ships, automobiles, farm machinery, textiles, and electrical equipment. The city was settled in 1835 and named (1837) for the British prime minister, Lord Melbourne. It was the seat of the Australian federal government (1901-27). The population,
once primarily British, has changed since World War II with immigration from E and S Europe. Melbourne was the site of the 1956 Olympic games. The Melbourne Cup Race is run annually.