South Pacific

The myriad island clusters lying east of Australia and New Zealand comprise some of the most strikingly gorgeous tropical terrain on the planet. The oceanic swath running roughly from Papua New Guinea to Easter Island contains a wealth of natural and historical diversity, and the region is home to a number of spectacular luxury resorts. Fiji, an archipelago nation of more than 300 islands, is famous for the soft coral that constitutes its brilliant reefs; its atolls are a mecca for scuba divers. The extinct-volcano island of Bora Bora, in French Polynesia, is surrounded by dazzling waters lined with white-sand beaches.