The first thing Angela Thomas does when she gets home from work is take off her shoes. The transition is an acknowledgment the working day has finished as she moves across the softness of the new carpet in her two-bedroom apartment in The Quadrant building, beside the Hotel Pullman.
Adding to the feeling of freedom of leisure time are four ranch sliders, meaning Angela never feels closed in in this ninth-floor corner apartment.
In fact, those sliding glass doors providing great views, fresh air and access to decks on two sides are what lead to Angela choosing this medium-sized freehold apartment over some of the larger units she had viewed.
"The light, ranch sliders and decks make it feel bigger; there would be at least 10sq m of deck here."
The apartment has a carpeted hallway with a tiled bathroom and tiled, galley-style kitchen. Next is the open-plan living on the corner, and opening to this is the second bedroom. You can close this bedroom's two doors to the corner if you want separation.
The second bedroom also has ranch-slider access to one deck, and again there are two ranch sliders in the living space opening to each deck. The master bedroom, off to the right, accesses the deck through the fourth ranch slider.
The views are impressive, over nearby buildings, up to the museum and Domain, and out to the port, the harbour and Hauraki Gulf islands.
Angela bought the apartment in December last year. She's found it handy for going to the movies, to Vector Arena for concerts, and dining out.
The apartments are a mix of owner-occupied and others in the Quadrant hotel pool.
But Angela has decided to sell. Having tasted city life, she will return to a rural area, as she misses being around her horses.
She imagines the apartment will appeal to a single or a couple who work in the city and like having the urban lifestyle on their doorstep.