A Tiny Footprint Isn’t So Bad When You Live in a Tower

Waiheke Island, a small, beach-lined domain with its own warm microclimate, has long been a "runaway place where people from Auckland can hunker down and escape civilization," says Mark Summerville, one of the island’s vacationers. But, as has become the case in many a beautiful place close to a city, the area has changed in recent years, as visitors swap humble seaside cabins for getaways that wrap up the benefits of beach living in sprawling packages with all the modern conveniences included.