By SIMON HENDERY in NEW YORK
Of the 500-strong crowd huddled behind barricades outside NBC's Manhattan studio on a near-freezing morning, few were there to see Helen Clark.
Our Prime Minister's appearance on the top-rating Today Show did not draw the crowd. Singer Donny Osmond and film star Elijah Wood were the
big attractions.
Cheers broke out when the interview with Lord of the Rings star Wood was beamed to the crowd on a large screen.
The actor said he loved his time in New Zealand filming the movie trilogy.
The crowd cheered again when Osmond sang the Crowded House hit Don't Dream It's Over. They positively screamed when, after the song, he came outside to move among them.
Back inside, it was the Prime Minister's chance to woo the Today Show's seven million viewers.
Helen Clark and US travel show host Peter Greenberg were on the programme to promote New Zealand: The Royal Tour, a Discovery Channel documentary in which the Prime Minister takes Greenberg on an adventure around New Zealand.
Tourism New Zealand expects the programme will boost tourist numbers from the US.
During the live seven-minute interview - longer than the Prime Minister's minders had expected - she discussed New Zealand's nuclear-free policy, its stance on Iraq, its tourist attractions and the making of the documentary.
The interview was interspersed with panoramic images of New Zealand from the documentary.
One shot showed Helen Clark and Greenberg dangling from ropes in the Lost World caves near Waitomo.
"Is this what you do for fun in New Zealand?" presenter Katie Couric asked.
"It's what the Prime Minister does for fun," Helen Clark laughed.
Then it was the Prime Minister's turn to perform a walkabout outside.
In contrast to Osmond, there was no screaming, but the crowd responded warmly to her handshakes and waves.
"We know who you are. We love New Zealand," bellowed one woman.
Helen Clark said the Today Show experience had been a great chance to expose New Zealand to millions of viewers.
"It gives a new meaning to television hype when you see New Yorkers and people from all around the States who have come to stand outside the window of the Today Show in freezing conditions to see what goes on."
While in New York, Clark also met United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
