Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand
Best time to visit: November-February
You need: 5 days

When it comes to the more sophisticated of life’s offerings, you could say that Hawke’s Bay has its priorities right. The art deco city of Napier, with its striking buildings and vintage cars, has the culture vulture ‘ooh’ing and ‘aah’ing. Its twin city of Hastings, that’s just a 40-minute drive away, with its Sunday farmer’s market, vineyards and glorious foodscape, inspires in us the same tones we would otherwise reserve for symphony orchestra. While it is a remarkable testament to the ingenious species from which we hail, the sublime is what we’re after, once our cultural cravings have been set to rest.