Finite difference time domain simulation reveals plasmon coupling and local field enhancement at the gap between the gold nanoparticle (NP) tip of a ZnO nanowire (NW) waveguide and a gold-coated substrate or a gold NP probe. The region of field enhancement is about three times smaller than the 100 nm diameter of the gold NP tip, making the NW waveguide grown on a transparent microcantilever well-suited for near field imaging of single molecules immobilized on a gold substrate or gold NP-labeled cell membranes with superior spatial resolution and signal to noise ratio.