Oceania

Best short-haul holiday destinations: Noumea, New Caledonia

Noumea offers a genuine taste of France incredibly close to Australia – closer than Cairns is from Sydney, in fact.

• by Anthony Dennis

Best short-haul holiday destinations: Christchurch

With a spectacular natural playground on its doorstep, this big small-city has undergone a revitalisation of unimaginable scale since the 2011 earthquake.

• by Katherine Scott

Best short-haul holiday destinations: Suva, Fiji

This overlooked gem is home to a third of Fiji’s population, is one of the most cosmopolitan centres in the South Pacific and has a great nightlife.

• by Craig Tansley

Best short-haul destinations: Auckland, New Zealand

New Zealand’s biggest city has been utterly transformed by the dramatic redevelopment of its once no-go waterfront as well as a quality food scene.

• by Anthony Dennis

Best short-haul holiday destinations: Port Vila, Vanuatu

Tiny Port Vila, with a population just over 61,000, has come of age. The capital of Vanuatu is home to chic restaurants, bars and gourmet produce outlets.

• by Craig Tansley

Airline review: Virgin’s extra legroom seats are a bargain on this route

This flight to an island paradise features Virgin’s cheapest upgrade to ‘Economy X’ at just $33.

• by Angela Saurine

Nine must-do highlights of Noumea, New Caledonia

A fine reason for visiting Noumea, the capital of French territory New Caledonia, is its variety of Gallic culinary delights.

• by Anthony Dennis

Best of New Zealand

New Zealand ranks as one of the world’s greatest destinations. And luckily for us, it’s right on our doorstep.

Airline review: No entertainment, no alcohol in this business class

It’s a short flight to this Pacific island, so the shortcomings of this business class are easily overlooked.

• by Christine Retschlag

Airline review: This small, classy carrier deserves a higher profile

New Caledonia is so close to Australia it should be a more popular destination, especially considering the way its airline impresses.

• by Anthony Dennis