Sydney to Singapore in 32 Nights

Sailing out through the Heads, past the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, is the best start to any cruise. Board early and there is time for a last walk round Circular Quay and The Rocks first.

The City of Sails, built between two harbours and over some fifty volcanic cones. Take the ferry to Waiheke Island for its vineyards and beaches, climb Mount Eden for the view, or stay on the waterfront at the Viaduct and Wynyard Quarter.

The way in to Rotorua, about an hour inland, with its geysers, bubbling mud pools and Māori culture. Closer to the ship, the summit track and surf beach at Mount Maunganui start a short walk from the wharf.

Christchurch has rebuilt its centre since the 2011 earthquakes: the Botanic Gardens, punting on the Avon and the Cardboard Cathedral are the easy picks. Banks Peninsula’s harbour villages and the Canterbury Plains make a good day out beyond the city.

Settled by Scots and proud of it: stone Victorian streets, the grand Railway Station and Baldwin Street, one of the steepest anywhere. The Otago Peninsula has royal albatross and yellow-eyed penguins a short drive from town.

A day of scenic cruising through the sounds of Fiordland, all seen from the deck: sheer granite walls, waterfalls after rain, and dolphins and fur seals if you are lucky. Which sounds the captain takes depends on the weather on the day.

Australia’s second-oldest city, with Salamanca Place’s sandstone warehouses close to the wharf. MONA is a ferry ride up the Derwent, and kunanyi / Mount Wellington looks down on the whole town.

A wine day for many: the Barossa, McLaren Vale and the Adelaide Hills are all within reach. In town, the Central Market, the galleries on North Terrace and the beach at Glenelg are easy.

The ship berths in Fremantle, whose Victorian port streets, markets and cafes are a walk from the terminal. Kings Park in Perth is about half an hour away by train, and Rottnest Island and its quokkas are a ferry ride offshore.

A few hours of scenic cruising off one of the last true wildernesses: red cliffs, empty islands and some of the biggest tides in the world, seen from the deck. There is no landing; for the gorges and waterfalls, ask us about a Kimberley expedition cruise.

The Top End’s tropical capital. Walk the waterfront, see saltwater crocodiles up close at Crocosaurus Cove, or learn about the 1942 bombing of Darwin at the military museum. Litchfield National Park’s waterfalls are a day trip for the keen.

Ubud’s rice terraces and temples, Uluwatu’s clifftop temple, or a long lunch on the beach at Jimbaran Bay: Bali rewards a full day ashore.

Bali’s quieter neighbour, with Mount Rinjani on the skyline. Senggigi’s beaches, the Sasak weaving villages and the rice fields inland are the usual choices for the day.

Stay a few nights if you can: Gardens by the Bay, the hawker centres, Little India and Chinatown, and a drink high above Marina Bay.