The beautiful Bay of Islands is scattered with some 150 undeveloped islands, an idyllic landscape of bright skies, secluded beaches and clear blue waters. The bay was also the site of the first permanent British settlement in New Zealand, and it was here that the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840 between the British Crown and the Maori chiefs.

Mystery Island, or Inyeug as it is known locally, is a small uninhabited island at the southern edge of the Vanuatu archipelago. There are no roads, no electricity and no hotels here, just idyllic white sands and tranquil tropical waters that are perfect for swimming and snorkelling.

Champagne Beach is a stunning stretch of perfect white sand on the east coast of Espiritu Santo, the largest of Vanuatu’s islands. The beach is named after a bizarre natural phenomenon, in which gas escaping from volcanic rocks on the sea floor causes the water to bubble and fizz at low tide.

Alotau is the capital of Milne Bay province, on the remote eastern tip of mainland Papua New Guinea. Milne Bay was the scene of heavy fighting during the Second World War, and today you can dive amongst the wreckage left behind. Alotau also serves as a base for visiting the nearby islands, including the fascinating Trobriand archipelago.

Looming over Rabaul is smouldering Mount Tavurvur, an active volcano that buried much of the city when it erupted in 1994, and which still periodically belches smoke and ash. Rabaul is also an appealing destination for history buffs, with several World War II sites still scattered with rusting wreckage.

Madang, first settled by Germans during the 19th century, was once known as the ‘prettiest town in the Pacific’, and retains its charm despite significant damage during the Second World War. There is some great snorkelling and diving just offshore, while the city’s towering casuarina trees support a noisy population of flying foxes.

Scattered across the South Pacific, several hundred miles to the east of the Philippines, the Republic of Palau is a stunning archipelago of lush, jungle-coated islands. The crystalline turquoise waters of the surrounding lagoon are a diver’s paradise, while on land you’ll find colourful bird life, prehistoric paintings and remnants from the Second World War.

The island of Bohol is best known for the Chocolate Hills, a bizarre landscape of over 1,000 conical karst hills that turn brown in the dry season. Other attractions include beautiful white sand beaches and the Tarsier Sanctuary, where you can see one of the world’s smallest primates, the Philippine tarsier.