When local man Brian Hobson entered a spectacle wearing competition last year he didn't expect to be crowned New Zealand Specsavers' Spectacle Wearer of the Year, let alone be flown to New York on an all-expenses-paid trip.
However Mr Hobson's spectacles caught the attention of Golden Globe winner actress Kim Cattrall and just several months later he was having a cup of tea with her in New York.
"It took about a day or so for the shock to settle and for me to realise I'd actually won. You never expect to hear anything back when you enter competitions," he said.
After being crowned the "specsiest" in the country earlier this year Mr Hobson and his partner were flown to New York to meet Ms Cattrall and explore the city's culture.
"New York was an experience, it's an absolutely beautiful place. The architecture is something you won't see here in New Zealand. You have to physically stand in Times Square between the buildings to realise how much work must have gone into creating a city like that," he said.