| Monday, September 10, 2012 6:00 AM

Russky Island looked impressive on arrival – brand new colourful buildings, immaculate gardens, water views – but it didn’t take long for the shine to wear off.

Amongst the minor incidents were Kiwi Government officials being locked in their rooms and journalists either stuck in a lift or stranded in the rain. It’s just another APEC summit.

In many ways it is impressive – top class facilities, high quality technology, fast wireless internet (a journalist’s dream). But when you look closer, the walls literally start crumbling. Door handles break off in your hands, there is no cold water in some rooms, no hot water in others and if you go to the back of buildings, the structures are unfinished.

As one Russian journalist told me – in Russia we have a tradition – we make things look good on the outside, but when you look closer, there is nothing behind it.

Very carefully, the same Russian journalist asked me what I thought of the summit and how her country had hosted it. She is not happy and somewhat embarrassed at the impression Russky Island may leave on international visitors.

A quick trip over the billion dollar Golden Horn bridge showed off the real Vladivostok, but it wasn’t easy to get there. Two buses, numerous security checkpoints – it’s such a procedure that you can’t help thinking there’s something to hide.

It’s the real Russia, the one they don’t want you to see. A family living in a container. Communist era blocks, soviet signs still visible alongside signs of the ever creeping Western world – a big Pepsi billboard.

Vladivostok is a pretty city. As seems to happen around the world when Governments beg to host big summits or sports events, there are promises galore made about the economic benefits of doing so. On the ground, there seems little evidence of this, with shopkeepers saying they have reaped none of the rewards.

Back on Russky Island, the leaders hold talks behind closed doors, creeping out only for staged photo opportunities. The Kiwi media seem very lucky to have the access to our Prime Minister we do – there were certainly no allowances for questions when John Key met with Vladimir Putin and Russian security seemed astonished at Key’s willingness to talk with us outside his accommodation block afterwards.

As the summit closed, the big “deliverable” in official speak, seems to be Key’s invite to Moscow next year – it’s the on the ground result we can see from his meeting with Putin. He’s hoping he can sign off a Free Trade Deal with Russia then, but actions speak louder than words and so far we've seen little of that.

Photo: Getty Images