What New Zealand's biggest and best cities have to offer

In a land of volcanoes, glaciers, fjords and world-leading sauvignon blanc, it’s perhaps understandable that New Zealand’s cities fly under the radar. But the big three – Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch – all have distinct personalities worth plunging into. They’re energetically evolving too – adding an extra, urban dimension to Kiwi cool.

Getting to New Zealand’s top destinations couldn’t be easier with Singapore Airlines who fly non-stop from Singapore to Auckland and Christchurch. Thanks to their partnership with Air New Zealand, you can seamlessly connect onto Wellington and 20 other domestic destinations across the country.

Auckland

With a natural setting to make any other city thoroughly envious, Auckland’s is New Zealand’s big smoke. Pacific Islander, Maori and Asian cultures mix in an urban setting that is enthusiastically reinventing itself.

Case in point? The Ponsonby Central complex, which blends the best elements of a food court and a restaurant strip to throw in several specialist joints. These major in everything from toasted cheese or rotisserie chicken to Argentinian barbecue or Prohibition-era cocktails.

Head west, and Auckland goes back to nature. Some of the giant kauri trees in the Waitakere Ranges have been standing for longer than humans have been in New Zealand, while the volcanic black sand beaches at Piha and Karekare are magnificently moody surfers’ dreams.

The volcanic traces can be found elsewhere in the city, with volcanic cones such as One Tree Hill and Mt Eden turned into sprawling public parks. And then there’s the newest arrival – Rangitoto Island, which emerged from the sea 600 years ago and is now startlingly lava-strewn.

Auckland’s islands, easily reached by regular ferries, are its trump card. Tiritiri Matangi is a remarkable sanctuary for endangered birds, while Waiheke is dotted with wineries, olive oil producers, clifftop walking trails and long beaches. It’s the good life encapsulated.

Wellington

The world’s most-southerly capital aims to compete on personality rather than size. Pleasingly walkable Wellington’s strengths lie in being able to amble around and stumble into whichever coffee roaster, craft beer bar or gourmet burger joint happens to catch the eye. It’s a proudly creative city where quality and concept tend to be rewarded.

Nowhere is this more evident than the Weta Cave, where the strikingly detailed film props and costumes made for the likes of the Lord Of The Rings movies are on display. Artist-guided tours around the workshop show just how much thinking goes on behind the scenes of the big flicks.

Welly also plays home to the country’s most impressive museum – Te Papa requires several visits to tackle in full, but the sections on New Zealand’s tumultuous geology and Pacific Islander migrations are especially fascinating.

Then there’s the green belt of often rather wild parkland on the hills around the centre, the pinnacle of which is Zealandia. The idea here is to restore the landscape to how it would have looked before humans got involved. And that means reintroducing rare birds that have been wiped out on the mainland by mammalian predators. In Wellington, the conservation is as remarkable as the innovation.

Christchurch

It was once the primmest, most English place in the southern hemisphere. And elements of classic Christchurch remain – you can still go punting along the River Avon and mooch through the 74 acres of Botanic Gardens.

But earthquakes have forced Christchurch to rethink what it is. And the rebuild has allowed a flurry of new spaces to thrive. For an inspiring look at how natural disaster can shape a city's identity, head to Quake City. This permanent exhibition is part of the Canterbury Museum and tells the story of the Canterbury quakes through hands on experiences and the objects that defined them.

The Last Word on historic New Regent Street is a cosy cocktail bar with an eye-popping array of whiskies, while the Transitional Cathedral is put together with cardboard tubes and has become a concert venue.

It’s Christchurch’s status as a hopping off point for Antarctica that provides the star attraction, though – the International Antarctic Centre offers rides on specially designed all-terrain vehicles, simulation ice storms, lovable penguins and replica stations from South Pole expeditions.