New Zealand’s epic islands.

The 36th America's Cup is about to take centre stage in New Zealand's Hauraki Gulf. The warm up act is the America's Cup World Series, which takes place 17-20 December 2020. Then the real show begins with the Prada Cup, 15 January-22 February 2021, to identify the challenger, before the grand finale, the America's Cup itself, between the challenger and the holder, Emirates Team New Zealand, from 16-21 March 2021.

The racing is going to be intense but it's very far from the only reason to visit these spectacular islands. There is so much to see, so many of nature's most precious jewels sparkle brightest here. With the ocean playgrounds of the Hauraki Gulf, Bay of Islands, Fiordland and Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand is a diverse paradise best enjoyed on a superyacht charter.

About 12 miles from Kawau Island, Tiritiri Matangi Island is a Jurassic Park for birds, many only just surviving extinction, but now thriving in their predator-free forest. At the honey baths, tuis, fantails, robins, bellbirds and saddlebacks flit in and out to take their turn in a pecking order that makes sense only to them.

Aotea (Great Barrier Island), 60 miles from Auckland, is defined by its isolation. The main entrance to Rarohara (Port Fitzroy) is Port Abercrombie, but threading a yacht through Man O’ War Passage instead is always a thrill. Great Barrier is the first island in the world to be designated a Dark-Sky Sanctuary. It’s also famed for its green-lipped mussels, while the fishing is excellent among the surrounding Broken Islands.

At Smokehouse Bay, accessible only by boat, you can smoke your catch and soak in a woodstove-heated bath. The décor is a simple, rustic structure on a tiny beach. The sea around the island teems with life. Snorkel among demoiselle, snapper, tarakihi and parrot fish, with conger eels poking out from rock crevices. Like the birds, the best way to observe them is to stay in one place.

Out in the bay, there are 144 islands, one of the most beautiful being Urupukapuka (top image), its open grasslands criss-crossed with bush trails. There is plenty to see: boats negotiating the passages between islands, rugged rock bays that have been bashed by waves for centuries on the seaward side, and tranquil coves on the sheltered side.

The Bay of Islands has distinctive landmarks: the Black Rocks slink low to the north; the Nine Pin is a triangle silhouetted on the horizon. Only the Hole in the Rock at Motukokako, also known as Piercy Island, allows boats to pass right through it.

To see beneath the water, Motuarohia, or Roberton Island’s marine reserve has easy snorkelling among snapper, leatherjackets, spotties and coloured seaweeds. There are also two ships sunk as dive sites in the bay: the HMNZS Canterbury at Deep Water Cove near Cape Brett, and the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior, near the Cavalli Islands.

North of the Bay of Islands, the rocky cliffs of the mainland overlap to conceal the entrance to Whangaroa Harbour until final approach. Inside, it is so sheltered that it’s more like a lake than the sea. To kayak here is paradise as you paddle around the mangroves, explore the creeks at full tide or hover over rocky sea mounts watching for fish. No visit to Whangaroa Harbour is complete without a glass of New Zealand Chardonnay on the deck at Kingfish Lodge.

Dolphins often ride boats’ bow waves or play and feed in the Sounds. They may include the world’s rarest and smallest species, the Hector’s Dolphin. It’s easy to identify: even marine biologists describe its black dorsal fin as resembling one of Mickey Mouse’s ears.

For fine dining in the wilderness, book your seat at the Bay of Many Coves Resort or the less formal Punga Cove Resort. Both are located in the outer Queen Charlotte Sound, accessible only by sea and definitely far, far from the madding crowds.