Auckland or Queenstown?

Auckland has real beaches. Sheltered, sandy bays such as Mission Bay and Takapuna are safe for children in late summer, the black sand at Piha and Muriwai draws surfers, and Waiheke has quieter coves.

Queenstown has no sea at all. Lake Wakatipu is so cold that a swim usually means a jump off the jetty and a quick scramble out, though Lake Hayes and Moke Lake are milder in midsummer. A sunny afternoon on the shingle at Queenstown Bay is pleasant, but you can't build a beach vacation around it.

Auckland has a much wider range of food, thanks to the Chinese, Korean, Malaysian and Indian kitchens on Dominion Road, the Pacific Island stalls at the markets and plenty of mussels, oysters and snapper from its own waters. Waiheke's vineyards are a ferry ride away.

Queenstown is mostly burgers, pies and lodge-style lamb and venison at resort prices, with queues at the popular spots. Its strength is wine: a long lunch among the Central Otago pinot noir cellar doors of Gibbston Valley is one of the best meals either place has to offer.

Auckland has far more to see. The War Memorial Museum on the crest of the Domain keeps a carved meeting house and a war canoe among its Māori and Pacific treasures, the Art Gallery has its Māori portraits, and the Maritime Museum tells the story of Polynesian voyaging. Outside, the volcanic cones carry the earthworks of Māori pā and Devonport keeps its Victorian villas. That is enough for two full days.

Queenstown has no museum of real weight. Its sights come down to the coal-fired TSS Earnslaw, built in 1912 and still crossing the lake, a few stone buildings from the 1860s gold rush and the view from Bob's Peak, and a morning covers them all. Arrowtown tells the mining story better.

Both are drinking scenes rather than club cities, but they feel quite different. Auckland's evenings are spread across separate strips: Ponsonby Road for wine bars, Karangahape Road for late, alternative bars and the queer scene, and the harbourside Viaduct for after-work drinks. You often need a taxi to get from one to another.

Queenstown packs its pubs and DJ bars into a few central blocks, full of seasonal workers, backpackers and skiers, and a winter Saturday stays loud past midnight. It is livelier for groups in their twenties, though a couple of nights covers it.

Most cities would envy Auckland's outdoors. It has grassy volcanic cones to climb, Rangitoto a short ferry ride away, rare birds on Tiritiri Matangi, kauri forest in the Waitākere Ranges and sailing on the Hauraki Gulf.

Queenstown is on another level. The Remarkables and Lake Wakatipu frame the town, tracks start from the streets, and the Routeburn and Mount Aspiring are up the lake road. This is also where commercial bungy began. Add jet boats, paragliding and four ski fields within reach in winter, and it is the stronger base for anyone who travels for the landscape.

The day trips are about even, and both lean on wine. Auckland's best outings go by water, to Waiheke's vineyards and beaches or across to Devonport. Matakana's wineries lie to the north, and Hobbiton is a long drive south.

Queenstown's outings go by road. Gold-rush Arrowtown is twenty minutes away, Wanaka sits over the Crown Range and the vineyards around Gibbston and Cromwell are close by. Milford Sound makes a long day of fiords and scenery rather than towns.

Auckland is the easier family trip. It has the zoo, the aquarium tunnel under sharks and rays on Tamaki Drive, MOTAT's trams and planes and calm beaches, although the attractions are spread out and you often drive between them.

Queenstown is compact and safe, and the gondola, the luge and the kiwi at the wildlife park make a good day out, as do the ski schools in winter. But the bungy jumps, swings and skydives have age and weight limits, and the long drives to the big scenery are tiring for younger children.

In both places a hire car helps, but for different reasons. Auckland is a big, spread-out city with a hilly but walkable centre and pleasant harbour ferries. Buses and a limited train network don't reach the west coast or the wineries, and motorway traffic is heavy.

Queenstown's centre takes minutes to cross on foot, and buses and a water taxi reach Frankton and Arrowtown. Beyond that, winding roads lead to Glenorchy, Wanaka and the trailheads. A single route runs into town and gets congested, and in winter chains are sometimes needed.

Auckland has more to browse. Ponsonby Road and Newmarket have New Zealand fashion and homeware, Britomart has upmarket stores in restored warehouses, and the Ōtara market has a Pacific flavour.

Queenstown's shops lean towards ski, bike and hiking gear, merino knitwear and greenstone. That makes it a handy place to kit out for the mountains, but there is little else beyond souvenirs.

Neither is cheap, but Auckland is a little easier on the budget. The volcanic cones, beaches and coastal walks are free, and Asian food courts and suburban dumpling places keep meals affordable.

In Queenstown the activities are the main expense: bungy jumps, jet boats, scenic flights and lift passes come on top of resort-priced rooms and meals. Hostels, self-catering apartments and the Frankton supermarkets help, but plan the budget carefully.

Auckland has a modest but real arts calendar. The Auckland Philharmonia plays at the Town Hall, New Zealand Opera stages seasons, touring musicals play under the starry ceiling of the Civic, and the Arts and Pasifika festivals come round each year.

Queenstown has no orchestra, opera or regular theatre. Evenings usually mean a covers band in a pub, with occasional touring acts and street concerts during the winter festival.

Neither has a bathing tradition, so the difference is in style. Auckland has natural hot springs at Parakai, about an hour away, plus day spas, yoga studios in Ponsonby and the slower pace of Waiheke's retreats.

Queenstown's way to unwind is a private cedar hot tub above the Shotover River after a day outdoors, or a lodge spa out towards Arrowtown. The centre is full of tour buses and adventure bookings, so for a calm stay base yourself in Arrowtown or Glenorchy.