Heavenly haven for priests

An arm of the Catholic Church owns an apartment in The Nautilus.

But Father Peter Tipene of Hibiscus Coast parish, who runs the unit, and the Catholic Bishop of Auckland, Patrick Dunn, say their place does not leak.

The unit towards the top of the tower is for priests and is owned by the Auckland Diocese Clergy Trust Fund. Bishop Dunn said they could book the place for a week at a time "just to have a break or catch up with reading, etc".

Father Tipene said the tower owners' fight for justice would cost the fund $1700, half due in October and the rest next year.

"Each of the owners in the body corporate are paying this towards legal costs," he said, adding that the clergy were delighted with their place.

"Of course we regret the fact the Nautilus is a leaky building, but it is a beautiful building despite the problems, is in a great location and has a wonderful group of owner/tenants," he said.

"It has fantastic amenities: heated pool, spa, sauna, gym, secure parking. It is efficiently run by the managers. It is in a great location near the beach and shops, library, church etc. It is quiet and affords relaxation and peace. A number of priests have used it for a small koha to help towards the body corp fees and the servicing of the apartment once they leave."

Owner/occupier Arnold Hughes praised the building but predicted it would not be fixed for ages.

"There's so much involved yet, it's got to go through a lot of channels."