The Banda Islands are Indonesia's most historically resonant and physically remote cruising destination — volcanic, hauntingly beautiful, and steeped in the bloody history of the global spice trade. A profound and unforgettable landfall for any sailor prepared to cross the Banda Sea.

Ambon's magnificent natural harbour has made it a strategic crossroads for millennia — today it remains the essential customs hub and provisioning port for the Maluku region, with world-class WWII wreck diving and a rich cultural heritage as bonus attractions.

Kupang is the gateway to Indonesia for the Darwin passage fleet — a functional, friendly city that delivers fast customs clearance, fuel, provisions, and the legendary Kupang Sailing Club hospitality that helps sailors transition from the Timor Sea to the archipelago beyond.

Labuan Bajo is the essential staging port for Komodo National Park — a fast-developing town with customs clearance, fuel, water, marina berths, and a vibrant dive scene that makes it far more than a mere gateway stop on the eastward passage through Indonesia.

Kota Kinabalu is Borneo's most accessible cruising port — a friendly, modern city with a well-run marina, superb provisioning, and a remarkable natural hinterland of marine parks, rainforest, and the imposing bulk of Mount Kinabalu. An essential stop on any South China Sea circuit.

Langkawi is the anchor of Southeast Asian cruising — duty-free fuel and provisions, three well-equipped marinas, stunning island anchorages, and a geographic position at the crossroads of Andaman Sea and Strait of Malacca routes make it an essential and repeatedly revisited base.

Kuching is the most atmospheric of Borneo's cities — a compact, walkable waterfront capital with superb food, world-class museums, and easy access to ancient rainforest and orang-utan sanctuaries. An off-the-beaten-track gem for cruising yachts exploring the South China Sea.

Penang combines world-class urban culture — a UNESCO heritage city, Asia's greatest street food scene, and extraordinary colonial architecture — with practical marina facilities and a protected anchorage that makes it one of the most rewarding urban port calls in all of Southeast Asian cruising.

Dunedin offers a fully-equipped Port of Entry in one of New Zealand's most atmospheric cities, with the dramatic 12 nm Otago Harbour approach, royal albatross and yellow-eyed penguin encounters at Taiaroa Head, and a Victorian Scottish heritage that makes it unlike anywhere else in the Southern Ocean.

Abel Tasman National Park delivers the finest coastal cruising on the South Island — a succession of golden-sand anchorages in clear turquoise water, native bush, fur seal colonies, and empty beaches that only a visiting yacht can reach before the morning crowds.