Waiheke great but more gems await discoverery by Americans In this post-Sex and the City world, where New York is the centre of the known universe, the Big Apple's movers and shakers and opinion makers are at the apex of power.
Which is all good for New Zealand, as the New York Times has, of late, been apt to
idolise this country in one way or another. One recent example was an interview with high-profile model Miranda Kerr ("Kerr goes Kiwi") which captures her raptures at everything great Aotearoa has to offer. That's obviously the kind of marketing money can't usually buy; and although we know our tourism bodies aren't above paying celebrities to drop the national name in conversation, there's no way they would have the budget for that kind of fawning exposure from one of the uber-celebrities of the age.
Everyone who is aware just how important tourism is to our economy will have been heartened once more when a New Zealand locale made the list of the "46 Places to See in 2013" in the NY Times in January. Waiheke Island sat at 35 ("A home grown arts scene beckons from down under [sic]").
I found the inclusion of Waiheke in a list of such globe-spanning magnitude quite stunning. Not because the island isn't beautiful of course - it is; but so are a multitude of other spots around the country. If art is the rubric for judging the visit-worthiness of a place, there are also plenty of other great locales (New Plymouth is one that springs to mind). There are 30 vineyards on the island, pumping out all manner of wine from sublime to vinegar, and yet if you wanted to steep yourself in the country's wine-growing culture, surely Central Otago, Marlborough or Hawkes Bay would be more apt.
