Stewart Island, known in Māori as Rakiura, lies off the southern coast of New Zealand and is the country’s third-largest island.

La Jolla, California, is a coastal gem nestled within San Diego, renowned for its breathtaking cliffs, pristine beaches, and charming village atmosphere. One of the main draws is the La Jolla Cove, a picturesque spot that offers crystal-clear waters perfect for snorkeling, kayaking, and spotting marine life, including the iconic California sea lions that sunbathe on the rocks.

Punakha sits in one of Bhutan’s most fertile valleys, cradled where the Mo Chhu and Pho Chhu rivers meet. For centuries it served as the kingdom’s capital and remains a place rich with stories woven through its fields, temples, and riverbanks. The city’s low elevation brings warmer weather than much of Bhutan’s highland regions, and rice paddies fill the landscape with vivid green during planting and golden hues at harvest.

Sandakan, on the northeast coast of Sabah in Malaysian Borneo, is a city where history, wildlife, and culture come together. Once a major trading port known as “Little Hong Kong” for its bustling connections to the wider world, Sandakan has retained its multicultural character, with influences from Chinese, Malay, and Indigenous communities visible in its temples, markets, and cuisine.

Leknes sits in the heart of Norway’s Lofoten Islands, a small town shaped more by geography than by long urban history. It developed as a regional hub for farming, fishing, and transport, serving surrounding villages spread across Vestvågøy. Rather than presenting a preserved past, Leknes reflects contemporary life in the north, practical and closely tied to seasonal rhythms.