Special Combination Cruise

The new Darwin cruise ship terminal at Fort Hill Wharf is adjacent to the convention centre, only one kilometre from Darwin’s CBD. Modern amenities, hotels and parking are there, plus a mini-market with beautiful local productions – Aboriginal art and crafts, diamonds and opals, and eateries, distinctive of the Top End. Darwin is a home port for the small luxury vessels Coral Princess and Coral Discoverer that explore the Kimberley coast to Broome. Read more about Darwin, Australia

Read more about Biak, Papua New Guinea

Read more about Ali Island, Papua New Guinea

Madang is the capital of Madang Province and a port on the north coast of Papua New Guinea. It was settled by Germans in the 19th C, then under Australian administration from 1919, and occupied by Japanese 1942-1944 when the town was virtually wiped out. Today its population of 24,000 includes many expatriates, and the city is the base for many NGOs and business branches. Read more about Madang, Papua New Guinea

The Vitu Islands are located in the Bismarck Sea north of New Britain, a part of Papua New Guinea in the SW Pacific. The islands are volcanic ocean peaks arising from very deep water and fringed with reefs, hence not atolls. Formerly called the French Islands, they are also known as the Witu Islands. Read more about Vitu Islands, Papua New Guinea

Rabaul is a town on the Gazelle Peninsula in East New Britain province, Papua New Guinea. A busy commercial centre, it is situated on Simpson Harbour, a sheltered inlet of Blanche Bay. Almost the entire old town of Rabaul is buried under volcanic ash, the result of a volcanic eruption in 1994, and one is in awe of the scenery, which resembles an alien prehistoric landscape. Read more about Rabaul, Papua New Guinea

Kennedy Island (colloquially known as Plum Pudding Island, though the correct local name is Kasolo Island) is an island in the Solomon Islands. It was named after John F. Kennedy. Read more about Kennedy Island, Solomon Islands

Santa Ana Island is a raised coral atoll in the Makira-Ulawa Province of the Solomon Islands, east of Papua New Guinea. Port Mary, situated on a small bay of the same name on the SW of the island, is the main town. Each cruise ship Zodiac that arrives at the beach landing is greeted by a fierce “welcoming committee”, composed of local men, masked and mud-smeared, dressed in warrior costumes and brandishing spears, shields, and machetes. Read more about Santa Ana Island, Solomon Islands

Champagne Bay is located to the NE of the island of Espiritu Santo in Vanuatu (New Hebrides until 1980), an island nation located in the South Pacific. The archipelago of Vanuatu lies at the centre of the other island groups Fiji, New Caledonia and the Solomon Islands. Espiritu Santo is the largest island in the nation; and its highest peak is Mt Tabwemasana at 1879m. Read more about Champagne Bay, Vanuatu

Ambrym is an island in the archipelago of Vanuatu (formerly known as the New Hebrides) in the South Pacific. It remains volcanically active, with two volcanic cones Benbow and Marum that still rumble away, and smaller vents and fractures that ooze steam and lava. The centre of the island is dominated by a massive 1900 year old 12 km diameter desert-like caldera that hosts multiple craters. Read more about Ambrym Island, Vanuatu

Lautoka is situated on the western side of Viti Levu, the largest island in Fiji, and just 20 km north of Nadi. The Fiji archipelago lies just to the western side of the International Date Line. Lautoka is Fiji's second largest city. Read more about Lautoka, Fiji

Lautoka is situated on the western side of Viti Levu, the largest island in Fiji, and just 20 km north of Nadi. The Fiji archipelago lies just to the western side of the International Date Line. Lautoka is Fiji's second largest city. Read more about Lautoka, Fiji

Levuka, a town on the south-east coast of the island of Ovalau, was the first permanent European Settlement in the Pacific Islands, and Fiji's first capital! It is a trip back in time, to a Fiji that is still untouched from mass tourism and commerce. Add to this the tropical maritime climate with no extremes in temperatures, and it is a delightfully relaxing place to enjoy hiking, fishing, or snorkelling and scuba diving to view the beautiful soft corals as well as a range of sharks together with all the smaller sea creatures! Read more about Levuka, Fiji

Read more about Fulanga Island, Fiji

Vava'u, and the other 40 odd islands that make up this stunningly beautiful group, is situated in the north of the Kingdom of the Tongan archipelago in the South Pacific. Despite now being easily accessible, it still remains off the beaten track of mass tourism. Neiafu, the tiny capital on Vava'u, is perched above the Port of Refuge Harbour, a delightful natural harbour regarded by many as one of the most beautiful in the world. Read more about Vava'u, Tonga

Rarotonga is the emerald jewel of the South Pacific. It lies midway between French Polynesia to the east, and Samoa and Tonga to the west. One of 15 Cook Islands, it is a popular tourist destination. Read more about Rarotonga, Cook Islands

Aitutaki - aka Araura, Ararau, Utataki - is one of the Cook Islands, 250 km north of the main island, Rarotonga. Bounded by a triangular barrier reef, Aitutaki boasts one of the most famous lagoons in the world and which is home to a large number of fish, hence making it a favourite spot for snorkelling and scuba diving. The lagoon is four times the area of the main island, and inside the lagoon are fifteen islets each its own paradise. Read more about Aitutaki, Cook Islands

Bora Bora is an island in the Leeward group of the Society Islands of French Polynesia. The mysteries and romance associated with the words Bora Bora bring an almost mystical presence to the island; it is arguably the most famous island in the world. Part of the allure has to be its almost unbelievable beauty. Read more about Bora Bora, French Polynesia

The city of Papeete (Tahitian Pape'ete; pop. 27,000) is the capital of Tahiti, the largest of the French Polynesian Islands. With its pleasant warm tropical climate, city-lovers will enjoy Papeete's chic shops, specialist stores and boutiques, together with the lively mix of French, Polynesian, and Chinese cultures. Read more about Papeete, French Polynesia