By: Katie Bradford-Crozier | Monday, September 03, 2012 6:00 AM

John Key couldn't help but come away smiling and somewhat flattered following his gourmet lunch with Hillary Clinton at the picturesque New Zealand residence in Rarotonga.

The best of Kiwi delicacies were on offer: crayfish, veal cutlets, lamb rump, and cheeses. Who could resist medallions of New Zealand crayfish with roasted red capsicum couli, and caviar.

Clinton is, not surprisingly for one of the world's most powerful woman, diplomatic, charming and personable.

She's had high praise for New Zealand’s efforts on the international stage, saying we lead the way in the Pacific and punch above our weight in Afghanistan.

Being a part of Clinton's security team must be a headache - she does what she wants. On spotting a group of American nuns on tour in the Pacific, she sauntered over to them, thanked them for her work and then proceeded to tell media how much she loved Rarotonga.

That veered from the tightly scripted, screened and timed appearances that involved media being penned in an invisible cage, unable to cross a given line.

Her appearance at the Pacific Islands Forum was a boost for hosts Cook Islands, which desperately needs the publicity and tourist dollar. Unfortunately for Prime Minister Henry Puna, the visit occurred not because it was a location Clinton had longed to visit, but because it was this year's host and because the US is getting increasingly worried about China's tentacles into the Pacific.

Clinton had a veiled warning for China, telling Pacific leaders America is in for the long haul and saying the region is "big enough for all of us".

Key is ever the diplomat, wanting to support America's attempts to exert control over the region, but not wanting to make an enemy of China. Both leaders were at pain to say their focus was on redirecting the way the Chinese promote the aid dollar in the region, saying it must be in a sustainable and beneficial way.

Despite the ulterior motive for Clinton's visit, it was still a coup for the forum and for Key.

Overall the forum was a successful one. The Cook Islands Government were magnificent hosts and showed off their country at its truly stunning best. The Pacific faces huge challenges in a number of areas - gender equality, fisheries and economic sustainability, climate change - but it seems like genuine commitments are being made by all countries to try and combat those.

And next year it's off to Micronesia, with the forum being hosted in the Marshall Islands.

For Key, his mind now turns to Russia, APEC and the Trans-Pacific Partnership - he'll be in Vladivostok by the end of the week.