Wow, an epic trip matched by an epic trip report - thanks! Nicely written, too. I agree with your impressions of Perth and Auckland: PER has rainy winters and dry summers while Sydney has the opposite, so had you visited in January your impressions might have been different; AKL really is a wannabe Sydney but a pretty nice city nonetheless. On the subject of Sheraton vs Hilton: in Auckland, the Hilton wins every time.
Any must-do recommendations for Kyoto? I have couple of days there in August...