Sprawling between the mountains and the beaches, Los Angeles is quintessential California. Whether your taste runs to fashionable Beverly Hills, the mega-entertainment of the movie studios, or the sizzle of homestyle Mexican food on Olvera Street, the city of angels is worth exploring.
Diamond Head, Waikiki Beach, Pearl Harbor - these names evoke feeling of magic, mystery, drama and history, and they are all located in Honolulu. The capital of Hawaii, this city not only offers some of the best beaches along side big-city skyscrapers, there are also parks, fabulous shopping, the only royal palace in America, the Arizona Memorial in the harbor at Pearl City, the Polynesian Cultural Center and more.
Historic Lahaina was once a rough-and-tumble whaling town in days gone by. Today visitors come to watch, not hunt, the humpbacks in Lanai Channel. Ascend through waving sugar cane fields to the summit of Haleakala for sweeping views over its vast dormant crater and of this beautiful island. Or, ride a tram through the Tropical Plantation on its slopes.
Suva sits on the southeast shores of mountainous Viti Levu ("Great Fiji"), largest of the over 800 islands which comprise the Republic of Fiji. Local folk traditions remain strong, like fire walks and welcoming ceremonies, wood-carving and the fabrication of tree-bark cloth. The island's proud history is showcased in the Fiji Museum, with its impressive collection of war canoes.
Dunedin is a little sliver of Scotland, set on the tropical shores of New Zealand's South Island. Founded by Scottish emigrants in 1848, Dunedin (the Gaelic name for Edinburgh) has fine Victorian and Edwardian architecture, including the Olveston stately home and majestic Larnach Castle--as well as New Zealand's only scotch distillery and kilt shop!
Sydney is Australia''s showcase: the oldest settlement, the largest and most thriving city, the cultural melting pot. It curves around idyllic Port Jackson, where sandstone cliffs and bright islands complement the Opera House and Harbor Bridge. Wander the cobbled colonial streets of the historic Rocks quarter, or tour the mansions of Watson''s Bay.