The Ranch - a beautiful hotel surrounded by the striking vistas of rural Montana - caters for all interests.

For further information see theranchatrockcreek.com.

This striking display of 'Supertrees' is part of a new development by the Singapore National Parks Board.

The 27-kilometre jet boat ride from Lake Hauroko to Foveaux Strait offers passengers views of some spectacular Fiordland National Park landscapes.

Archery is the national sport in Bhutan and it's practised obsessively in every corner of the tiny Himalayan kingdom.

This idyllic spot in Western Australia is the ideal place to try glamping - glamorous camping - for the first time.

For further information see ecobeach.com.au.

For those averse to shooting down mountain slopes on skis, here are a few alternatives.

From dog sledding to ice climbing. Adventure junkies heading to the South Island will be spoilt for choice.

With a number of fine dining options and the East Day Spa on site, this central Auckland hotel is a great place for a weekend city break.

For further information see skycityauckland.co.nz.

This resort on the south-western Thai island of Phuket was revamped in early 2012 and now includes an adults-only zen area in addition to its wide range of family-friendly activities.

For further information see clubmed.co.nz.

This luxury lodge, located on beautiful Kangaroo Island off mainland South Australia, is a great place to getaway for an indulgent weekend.

For further information see southernoceanlodge.com.au.

A geomagnetic storm strongly compressing the Earth's magnetic field lit up both poles with bright auroras. Stephen Voss captured these brilliant images in Southland.

Due to be completed in November 2012, this 312km trail runs from Tasman Point near Aoraki/Mt Cook through the Mackenzie basin and the Waitaki Valley, before winding its way to the Pacific Ocean at Oamaru. The Alps 2 Ocean Trail is one of 18 New Zealand cycle trails which will eventually extend 2000km throughout the country.

More than 200 years after he was born, visitors can still experience the Victorian London of the great novelist Charles Dickens by visiting the places he frequented and based his tales on.

Photos from this year's event on Australia's Sunshine Coast.

Diving beneath the surface reveals Malaysia's colourful world of sea creatures.

The inland Cuban city of Camaguey was once the domain of pirates, privateers and bucaneers. These days it's a more serene place, but the influence of the swashbucklers remains: instead of being laid out on a grid system with square plazas, the city's streets are a maze of narrow alleyways, designed to confound the marauding looters.

Plane enthusiasts flocked to vantage points around Auckland Airport today for a glimpse of the first passenger-carrying Boeing 787 Dreamliner to land here.

The singing of whales as they gather in the warm Pacific waters to calve is so powerful you can feel its vibrations in the water if you go swimming with them.

Established in 1890, this national park in California's Sierra Nevada mountain range, was designated a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1984. Its spectacular waterfalls, extensive hiking trails and immense granite formations attract millions of visitors each year.

Five free attractions to visit in the Thai capital.

Herald photographer Babiche Martens snapped these beautiful shots during a trip around Sri Lanka.

There's plenty of fun to be had in the Coromandel whatever the weather. If the clouds have rolled in on your weekend break, try some of these activities and places to stay.

The Lost City of the Incas, perched high in the Peruvian Andes, continues to inspire awe in visitors more than 500 years after it was deserted by those who created it.

The dramatic landscapes of the Hollyford Valley make this one of New Zealand's most spectacular nature walks.

This spa resort in New South Wales offers a patrolled beach to swim at, bicycle hire and two fabulous swimming pools, but it's also the base for regular yoga retreats run by Yoga TV's Kris McIntyre.

This collection of mausoleums, which slopes up a hillside to a more ordinary graveyard, is the most sacred site in the city of Samarkand. Known as the Tomb of the Living King, the site has grown up around a single tomb - that of Qusam ibn Abbas, the man said to have brought Islam to Uzbekistan.

This Californian landmark celebrated its 75th birthday in May 2012. In honour of the occasion, nzherald.co.nz readers sent in some of their best snaps of the world-famous bridge.

This cave, two kilometres southwest of Waitomo's main glowworm cave, is a fairytale world of spirals and speleothems, stalactites, old fossils and young glowworm superstars.

The 775-kilometre Spanish Pilgrim Trail, which runs from St-Jean Pied-de-Port, on the French side of the Pyrennes, to Santiago De Compostella, on Spain's far north-western coast, attracts tens of thousands of walkers each year. Former nzherald.co.nz news editor Simon Winter took on the trail in 2012 - these photos document some of his journey. Click here to read Simon's blog about the trip.

This dramatic fortress, perched high above Israel's Negev Desert, was built by King Herod on the site of a former Bronze Age camp.