Australia and New Zealand: Spectacular Landscapes and Thrilling Adventures

Colorful corals in the Great Barrier Reef. Image Credit: Lea McQuillan/Shutterstock

When the colors start to change, New Yorkers head up the Palisades Interstate Parkway to Bear Mountain, one of the most popular lookouts in the New York metropolitan area. There are plenty of quick hiking trails throughout the state park, but for the most impressive vistas, drive to the top — look for the Perkins Memorial Tower — and gaze out over the colorful hills and valleys of the Hudson Highlands and Harriman State Park. Heading north into rural New York State, you’ll encounter the warm days and cold nights of the enchanting Finger Lakes region. Each of the 11 lakes has its own vibe, but all are resplendent this time of year when it’s still possible to get out on the water. This is the wine-growing region of New York — and most tastings come with beautiful views. Ithaca is at the southern end of Cayuga Lake, the longest of the glacial Finger Lakes. Bumper stickers and T-shirts proudly proclaim that “Ithaca is gorges” and it won’t take long to see why. At 215 feet, the spectacular Taughannock Falls — one of 150 waterfalls in the area — is three stories taller than Niagara Falls. After wandering through Buttermilk Falls State Park, try a hand-foraged wild apple cider at South Hill Cider. The female-owned Bet the Farm Winery in Trumansburg serves up dry wines alongside one of the best views of Cayuga Lake. The quaint town of Aurora recently became a wellness destination along Cayuga Lake with the opening of the Inns of Aurora’s impressive new spa, where floor-to-ceiling windows showcase uninterrupted views. Immerse yourself in the fall’s beauty with lakefront yoga, archery, hiking, forest bathing, or kayaking. A specially designed nature trail offers several unbelievable vistas and Lakeview Ridge is particularly dazzling at sunset.

The magnificent monolith of Uluru in Australia’s Red Centre. Image Credit: Tom Jastram/Shutterstock

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Sun-kissed, surrounded by sparkling water, and scented with frangipani, Sydney is an unforgettable jumping-off point for your Australian adventure. Get into the adrenaline-fueled spirit with a bridge climb to the top of Sydney Harbour Bridge for fabulous bird’s-eye views. You’ll no doubt be back another day to explore glistening Sydney Opera House and other city gems. For now, head to the Great Barrier Reef. A 2.5-hour flight from Sydney, Hamilton Island is at the heart of the Whitsunday Islands archipelago, the most popular spot for experiencing Queensland’s epic reef. Covered in bush and car-free, it’s fringed by turquoise water and vibrant reefs, including famous Heart Reef, especially lovely from the air. Watersports lovers can enjoy sailing, snorkeling, diving, and boat tours to admire rainbow-bright corals, turtles, and manta rays. Whitehaven Beach, which can be reached on a day trip, dazzles with its brilliant white, silky-smooth sand and offers a truly idyllic escape. You can also encounter the reef from pretty, beach-blessed Port Douglas near Cairns. A recent report suggests coral is regenerating in the central and northern parts of the reef’s fragile ecosystem.

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Australia’s Red Centre is home to Uluru (formerly Ayers Rock), a massive sandstone monolith rising out of the desert that’s sacred to the local Anangu Aboriginal people. Fly into Ayers Rock Airport near Yulara to experience this geological and spiritual marvel, which glows red at sunset and changes color in different lights from ocher to orange to purple. The six-mile loop walk around its base is magical, with views of rock art, ancient carvings, native plants, and myth-laced watering holes. You can hear stories of the Dreamtime on a guided tour, take a camel ride, or see it from the air. Another highlight is hiking between the soaring domes of nearby rock formation Kata Tjuta (The Olgas). Savor a sunset Champagne with panoramas of Uluru or wander amid the stunning landscape installation, Field of Light, by artist Bruce Munro, illuminated by 50,000 colored spindles.

Koalas are native to Australia. Image Credit: slowmotiongli/Shutterstock

Australia’s unique indigenous wildlife is sure to wow. Kangaroos are a common sight bouncing about with their joeys in the countryside, while lovable koalas are visible in select spots such as Victoria’s Great Ocean Road. A trip to Sydney’s harborside Taronga Zoo or Healesville Sanctuary in the Yarra Valley wine region near Melbourne allows you to spy wallabies, wombats, Tasmanian devils, emus, echidnas, and platypuses, while Darwin in the Northern Territory is a top choice for crocodile encounters at Crocosaurus Cove. From Melbourne, it’s possible to take a day trip to Phillip Island to watch little penguins waddle from the sea to their nests each night at the Penguin Parade. The island is home to the world’s largest colony of these ultra-cute creatures, also called fairy penguins, and a state-of-the-art center offers boardwalks and platforms to view them in action.

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The colorful futuristic cityscape of Shanghai. Image credit: Lushengyi/Shutterstock

The same is true in many corners of China, where the mix of history and future is riveting. Shanghai, once known as the Pearl of the Orient, is one of Asia’s most glamorous cities. Here, lines of candy-colored Ferraris purr down the street as you crane your neck to glimpse the top of the Shanghai Tower, 125 stories of twisting glass and steel rocketing into the clouds. In its shadow lies The Bund, where brides in red princess dresses pose for pictures on the steps of Art Deco buildings, while up top Formula 1 drivers and visiting celebrities party at chic rooftop bars. A booming contemporary art scene provides a feast for art lovers. It’s a go-glam-or-go-home kind of town and fabulous fun, yet there are still winding streets and private gardens hidden among the high-rises. Find your way to the historic Huxinting Teahouse, an ornate pavilion perched over a lake, where locals still gather to play mahjong. Despite measuring just 430 square miles, Hong Kong punches well above its weight: a financial dynamo, filled with eye-popping architecture, verdant country parks, and a culinary and art scene to behold. Outdoor tai chi forms a part of daily life, and everyone should try it. Simply join any group you like the look of. Make time also for Kowloon’s enchanting Bird Market, where elderly Chinese men stroll with their birds in bamboo cages and sit socializing with friends as their avian companions sing. Hong Kong is also home to more than 250 islands, many uninhabited, where you can escape the bustle and discover a serene, more traditional way of life. Relax on sandy beaches, try watersports, or have a fresh fish dinner.

Giant pandas. Image credit: Sergei Mugashev/Shutterstock

The capital of Sichuan province, Chengdu boasts ancient temples and sprawling national parks, but it’s really the city’s adorable panda population that everyone comes to see. Around 1,600 of the black and white bears are thought to roam the surrounding mountains, but the elusive animals are virtually impossible to spot in the wild. Instead, make your way to the leafy Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, on the outskirts of the city, where visitors learn about animal conservation through interactive exhibitions, while observing more than a hundred fluffy panda bears lolling in bamboo groves. In 1974, the 3,000-year-old city of Xi’an was catapulted onto the world stage when a farmer struck upon what was to be one of the world’s greatest archaeological discoveries: the Terra Cotta Army, a life-sized battle-ready army fashioned from clay. From its first uncovering, this extraordinary find has been spellbinding. Nearly 50 years later, some 8,000 soldiers, horses, and chariots, each with their own individual features, have been excavated, a fraction of the total number expected to eventually be discovered. Recover from the magnitude of the site by visiting the smaller Xi’an Museum of artifacts, or challenge yourself to sample the wide variety of dim sum for which the city is renowned.

The roots of tequila are in the agave plant. The Indigenous people of Mexico made alcohol from agave thousands of years ago, fermenting its sap into a low-octane drink known as pulque. When Spanish colonization began in the 16th century, Europeans brought knowledge of distillation. By the early 1600s, large-scale distilling was taking place, eventually growing into one of Mexico’s biggest and most profitable industries. Today, tequila production – like Champagne in France and Scotch whisky in Scotland – is geographically limited to certain parts of Mexico and is governed by the Consejo Regulador del Tequila (CRT). By law, only the blue agave can be used for tequila. It takes five to seven years for the plant to mature before it can be harvested. Nearly all blue agave is farmed, which helps the farmer and distiller better ensure the plant’s quality. Although some tequilas, called mixtos, start as a combination of agave and other fermentable sugars, the best tequilas are made only with agave and showcase the pure notes derived from the plant. Mezcal is a cousin of tequila, produced in several Mexican states, and also made from agave – but not blue agave. Mezcal distillers may use more than 30 varieties of agave, many of which are wild grown. Artisanal mezcaleros use traditional methods, such as cooking the piñas (the heart of the agave plant) underground, grinding them with a stone wheel called a tahona, and fermenting with wild yeast in wooden tanks. Ancestral mezcaleros go even further, distilling the spirit in clay pot stills rather than copper. Mezcal is often, but not always, smoky, and showcases an even wider array of flavors than tequila, thanks to the diversity of agave it can use. Nearly all mezcal is decidedly non-industrial, making it more limited and usually more expensive than tequila. Mezcal may be offered in blanco, reposado, and añejo variants, as well as the far less common, but intriguing, pechuga, which is distilled with fruits, herbs, and meat such as rabbit, chicken, or iguana. Some well-regarded mezcal brands include Del Maguey, Montelobos, Ilegal, and Rey Campero.

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Awe-inspiring views from the Skyline Queenstown Gondola. Image Credit: ChameleonsEye/Shutterstock

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Domestic flights are the best way to travel between cities in Australia, due to the huge distances. A few luxurious train journeys are iconic experiences. They include The Ghan, named after Afghan cameleers, which glides right through the heart of the country from Darwin in the north to Adelaide in the south. It’s around a three-hour flight from Sydney to New Zealand’s Queenstown.

Image credit: Necker Island

Watersports lovers can enjoy sailing, snorkeling, diving, and boat tours to admire rainbow-bright corals, turtles, and manta rays

From South Queensland’s Fraser Island — the world’s largest sand island — to rugged, seabird-flocked Lord Howe Island out in the Pacific, Australia’s islands deliver once-in-a-lifetime adventures. South Australia’s Kangaroo Island has a magnificent colony of sea lions and fur seals, plus curious rocks. The island state of Tasmania boasts dreamy coastal walks to beauty spots such as Wineglass Bay or the Bay of Fires.

Kangaroos at Lucky Bay in Western Australia. Image Credit: trabantos/Shutterstock

Jet boating on Shotover River in New Zealand. Image Credit: Mohd Irwan Mazlan/Shutterstock

When it’s time for personal challenges, Queenstown is New Zealand’s dramatically beautiful adventure capital in the southwest of the country’s South Island. It’s where Aussies escape to for exciting ski fields and snowboarding and where adrenaline junkies flock to go bungee jumping, skydiving, paragliding, and jet boating. Coursing past quiet sheep farms is the fast-flowing Shotover River, a mecca for whitewater rafting. Not for the faint-hearted, a trip is as exhilarating for participants as observers.

Wild New Zealand

Queenstown is New Zealand’s dramatically beautiful adventure capital in the southwest of the country’s South Island

Stunning South Island scenery near Queenstown. Image Credit: Katibusnello/Shutterstock

Set on the shores of Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown is fringed by the lofty peaks of the Southern Alps, including The Remarkables mountain range, where walking and cycling beckon, with serious hikes or fjord cruises around eye-catching Milford Sound. Take the opportunity to learn about the Indigenous Māori people through powerful kapa haka performances and fascinating cultural shows. A trip down under is truly otherworldly.

Watersports lovers can enjoy sailing, snorkeling, diving, and boat tours to admire rainbow-bright corals, turtles, and manta rays

Kangaroos at Lucky Bay in Western Australia. Image Credit: trabantos/Shutterstock

Watersports lovers can enjoy sailing, snorkeling, diving, and boat tours to admire rainbow-bright corals, turtles, and manta rays

Jet boating on Shotover River in New Zealand. Image Credit: Mohd Irwan Mazlan/Shutterstock

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