Waiheke Island named one of top 12 travel destinations

New Zealand’s Waiheke Island has made the list of the top 12 global travel destinations for 2009 compiled by a US-based travel guide.

Waiheke, just over 10 miles from Auckland, has been named as a top destination by Frommer’s Travel Guides, along with Cartagena, Columbia; Cape Town, South Africa; Saqqara, Egypt; Washington DC, US; and Waterton Lakes National Park, Canada.

According to the Frommer’s website, its annual list is “a mix of value picks that’ll still wow you, cities that are sprucing up for big events, smart alternatives to overrun spots nearby, and destinations that are justifiably hyped.”

In describing Waiheke, Frommers has said that it is “a hot spot for New Zealand’s massive wine and olive industries. Growers of both grapes and olives have caught wind of all those travelling foodies and responded by building sleek and modern accommodations amongst the vines, providing high-end creature comforts, menus offering food for the sophisticated palate and spectacular views of the bay and distant Auckland.”

The other six destinations rounding out the list of the top 12 are: the Civil Rights Trail from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, US; Lassen Volcanic National Park, US; Berlin, Germany; Belfast, Northern Ireland; Istanbul, Turkey; and Cambodia, other than Angkor Wat.

Thanks to www.nzherald.co.nz for the above quotes, for more information on this article please visit their website.

www.frommers.com