Auckland or Brisbane?

Auckland has its beaches inside the city. There is sheltered sand at Mission Bay and St Heliers along Tamaki Drive and at Takapuna on the North Shore, wild black-sand surf at Piha and Muriwai, and white sand on Waiheke. The weak point is the water, which is pleasant only from January to March.

In Brisbane, swimming in town means the man-made lagoon at South Bank or a public pool, and the shore of Moreton Bay is muddy at low tide. The sea is far warmer, and the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast beaches are long and patrolled. Each one is about an hour away, though, so a swim is a day trip rather than an evening on the sand.

The two cities eat equally well, and neither has a dish of its own. Auckland's strengths are regional Chinese, Korean and Malaysian cooking along Dominion Road, Pacific Island stalls at the markets, and cold-water seafood such as green-lipped mussels and Bluff oysters, with Waiheke wine close at hand.

Brisbane's table is subtropical. It has mangoes and macadamias, prawns and Moreton Bay bugs, and long breakfasts on verandas. West End serves cheap Greek and Vietnamese food, and the old warehouses at Newstead hold small breweries.

The two are much alike: young cities whose sights take two or three days. Auckland's highlight is Māori and Pacific heritage, from the carved meeting house and war canoe in the Auckland Museum to the earthworks of old pā on the volcanic cones.

Brisbane keeps its culture together at South Bank, where the Gallery of Modern Art, the Queensland Art Gallery and the state museum stand side by side. The city also has more period architecture to walk past, with the sandstone Treasury and timber Queenslander houses on stilts in Paddington and New Farm.

Brisbane gives the livelier night out, mainly because it is concentrated. Fortitude Valley fills with pubs, rooftop bars and clubs on weekends, and warm evenings keep people outdoors.

Auckland's evenings are spread across Ponsonby Road's wine bars, the alternative and queer scene on Karangahape Road, and the harbourside Viaduct. That usually means taxis in between, and much of the city goes quiet by midnight on weeknights.

Auckland's landscape comes closer to the city and is more varied. It is built across a field of volcanoes, with Rangitoto and the predator-free island of Tiritiri Matangi a ferry ride out, and gannets, kauri forest and cliff tracks in the Waitākere Ranges. The Hauraki Gulf adds sailing, kayaking and dolphin watching.

Brisbane has Mount Coot-tha and D'Aguilar National Park on its edge, but its best scenery is further out. The Gondwana rainforest of Lamington and Springbrook is about an hour and a half away, and Moreton Island has its dunes. Summer heat restricts serious walking there to the cooler months.

Auckland's best days out start at the ferry terminal. Waiheke's vineyards and beaches are about forty minutes across the water and Devonport is a short crossing away. Matakana's wineries and the Hobbiton set are longer drives, while Rotorua and Waitomo really need an overnight stay.

From Brisbane you go by road or rail instead, and the destinations are coast and hills rather than islands. The Gold Coast and Noosa offer beach towns, and inland there are hill villages such as Montville and Tamborine Mountain and the garden city of Toowoomba. Neither city has much heritage within a day's reach, so both are about scenery.

Brisbane is the easier city with children. The free sandy lagoon and playgrounds at South Bank, the hands-on science centre at the Queensland Museum and the koalas at Lone Pine are all close in, and riding the river ferries is fun in itself. The Gold Coast theme parks and Australia Zoo are each about an hour away, though summer heat means planning around midday.

Auckland has plenty to offer, including the zoo's native wildlife, the shark tunnel at the aquarium, MOTAT's trams and planes, and calm bays for small swimmers. Getting between them usually means driving, and Rainbow's End is a modest stand-in for a big theme park.

Brisbane is clearly easier without a car. The CityCat ferries link the inner suburbs along the river, a dozen rail lines run out to the bay and the Sunshine Coast, one line connects the airport with the Gold Coast, and busways fill in the gaps.

Auckland's harbour ferries are lovely, but the trains are limited and the city is built around the car. The west-coast beaches, the Waitākere Ranges and the northern wineries are hard to reach without one, so many visitors hire a car for part of their stay.

Neither city is worth the trip for shopping, but each has its own Queen Street of chains and a few better corners. Auckland's strength is New Zealand design and things to take home, such as merino knitwear, pounamu carvings and Pacific art from the Ōtara market.

Brisbane has more classic city-centre shopping, with heritage arcades and a short run of luxury labels on Edward Street. For browsing, there are antique and vintage shops along Paddington's ridge road.

Both cities are expensive, and neither is noticeably cheaper overall. What differs is where you can save. Auckland's best sights cost nothing, including the volcanic cones, the beaches and the coastal walks, and its Asian food courts are cheap. Ferries, tours and car hire add up, though.

In Brisbane, public transport is cheap and the main galleries, museums and the South Bank lagoon are free. That makes a car-free stay easier on the budget.

Brisbane has the fuller stage. Its orchestra, opera, ballet and state theatre company all perform at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre, the Powerhouse in New Farm adds comedy and cabaret, and the Brisbane Festival takes over September. Fortitude Valley's small venues carry on the city's long record of producing bands.

Auckland's calendar is smaller but has a Pacific character of its own. The Pasifika Festival and kapa haka performances have no equal in Brisbane, and there are concerts in the Town Hall and shows under the starry ceiling of the 1929 Civic.

Hot springs give Auckland a slight edge. The thermal pools at Parakai, about an hour away, make an easy half day, and Waiheke has a slower pace and a few retreats. Rotorua's geothermal baths are better as an overnight trip.

Brisbane has no natural hot water, so it unwinds in outdoor pools instead, from the Spring Hill Baths of 1886 to open-air lap pools in the suburbs, and on long, warm evenings by the river. For a proper retreat, people go to the mountain spa lodges in the rainforest hinterland.