Canadian publisher looks for slice of Waiheke

Magazine editor Tyler Brule wants a Waiheke Island home. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Auckland real estate agent Graham Wall is looking for a Waiheke Island property for Canadian businessman and magazine editor Tyler Brule.

Wall said the Canadian journalist, entrepreneur, and magazine publisher who is the editor-in-chief of Monocle magazine was so impressed with Auckland and the island when he visited a few weeks ago that he asked Wall to find him a place.

Brule became wealthy by founding another magazine, Wallpaper, and selling it to Time.

He wrote what he called a love letter to Auckland in the Financial Times last month saying that he could not stop thinking about his wonderful weekend here.

"While I thoroughly enjoyed our first encounter in late 2011, this time was different and you were on better form - the sun was out, your locals were looking fit and tanned and there was this wonderful feeling of a city still on summer holiday but also getting on with work at the same time," Brule wrote in the Financial Times piece.

He had high expectations and the island was an absolute charmer.

"But it really went far beyond what I'd imagined. The logistics going over are a bit complicated [there's definitely room for someone to start a proper water taxi service around the bay] but once you get there it's hard to believe you're still officially in the city," he wrote.

"From the moment I stepped off the boat I was already keen to look at real estate and get a read on what properties are selling for. With its rolling hills and dry(er) climate, it reminded me a lot of Tuscany.

"The many vineyards dotted around the island also had me thinking about a fuller lifestyle overall [the idea being to own a vineyard rather than just drinking more wine later in life]."