Year: 2026

While in Kofiau we had the opportunity to go on a bush walk just opposite the village. We were looking for the paradise kingfisher.We spotted butterflies and this Green Crested Lizard. A handsome fella. I walked back to the xplorer on the beach. While there is undoubtedly lots of plastic and rubbish there is also…

Today a visit to Kampung Deer village. We were welcomed by two traditional boats from the village with drummers and dancers. They accompanied us all the way. Small wooden houses built on stilts along the coastline. People going about their daily business. A Christian Protestant community with churches in each of the villages. A focal…

In all its glory. Towering rocks covered in ferns, betel nut palms, many pitcher plants and flowering orchids. Rocks like Xmas trees, sheer faces and azure waters. Pretty much uninhabitable. A National Park. The snorkelling was great along an extensive reef where a coral tablecloth caught my eye extending out in the deep underneath as…

It’s not every day you meet a king. And here is the Raja of Saparua, a traditional leadership system known as raja or kepela negeri. They are Cultural leaders preserving land, tradition and ceremonial events. Keep it quiet in case you know who wants to come and become king of this place too! We arrived…

With only words. Divers and snorkellers were excited to head off to Lava Flow for their first encounter with a living reef. The volcano erupted in 1988 and destroyed the existing reef but the rich volcanic lava has ensured wonderful regeneration and growth. So yes it was pristine and eye popping but unlike many in…

This humble little fruit once had a value that surpassed gold. The nutmeg tree was indigenous to these tiny Banda islands. The Dutch fought a brutal war to control its production in the 1600s. The British broke the monopoly by introducing it to other areas like Sri Lanka Malaysia and Singapore. While the spices are…

It’s lovely to be welcomed to Banda Neira by traditional long boats called Koras. One in green and one in white. Full of eager loud rowers rowing to the even beat of a drummer and encouraging the splashing of water as the rowers lift their oars. The island lies in the tranquil Banda Sea. On…

One of the pleasures of being at sea is that it can be a positive catalyst to socialising. It’s not a big ship with thousands on board so we often find ourselves sharing a lunch or dinner with other guests and it is the perfect time, over a few drinks, to hear their story. Well…

After a sea day crossing the Timor Sea we have arrived in Yamdena, the largest island in the Tanimbar Islands of Indonesia. Saumlaki, the largest town is on the southern tip of the island. We went to shore on our Xplorers. A colourful wharf. Off to Tumbur. A village some 30 mins away where we…

Where on earth is this place. I confess to never having heard of it before David Attenborough’s Ocean and some information received by the cruising company. It’s an area located off the tip of West Papua, an island archipelago with extraordinary marine biodiversity. The Four Kings refer to four main islands and it is known…