Penny Lewis: Salute to our city of sales

The Ockham Building, 39 Sandringham Rd, Kingsland. Photo / Supplied

Being something of a Rugby Grinch, I imagined all kinds of quick-fix things were happening around town because of a certain big tournament.

Then, a walk through a newly revitalised part of downtown Auckland and a few phone conversations changed my jaded assumptions. Before the cold snap hit this week, I spent some time with my kids down at the Jellicoe St part of Wynyard Quarter. How fabulous it is - and how proud I feel to be an Aucklander. Who cares if its completion has been timed to coincide with the eve of the Rugby World Cup? This is a treasure for all of Auckland to enjoy from here on in, even for non-sporty types like myself.

The phone conversations were to do with a just-built block of 25 apartments on the corner of Rossmay Tce and Sandringham Rd, across from Eden Park. Driving past one day, I imagined the development - known as The Ockham - was a quick-flick project to lure in die-hard Cup fans, much the same as a modest home in Kingsland being advertised to rent for $2500 a week. Bah humbug, I thought. Well, I was wrong.

One of the developers behind the build, Mark Todd from Ockham Residential Investment and Development, says choosing the site for the pre-cast panel and solid masonry block development was "not at all" connected to the event. "We liked the site for its own characteristics." He lists the apartments' proximity to "umpteen Kingsland bars" and the train station as appealing factors. Having Eden Park across the road is beneficial for residents, not just because of the World Cup, but because "it's nice to live next to public places". Todd and his business partner Ben Preston, both 39, met at primary school and attended the University of Auckland together.

Of the 25 one- and two-bedroom apartments in the four-storey building, Ockham released seven apartments on level two for sale. After marketing by LJ Hooker, five of the apartments have sold. There are now two two-bedroom apartments for sale, priced at $515,000 and $535,000. LJ Hooker's Murray Eaton says most enquiry has come from Aucklanders, with some off-shore and out-of-town interest, including a couple relocating from Christchurch. Although The Ockham is directly across the road from Eden Park, Eaton says the Rugby World Cup "wasn't a significant factor" in buyers' interest. And if you are a potential buyer and want a ringside home to the Cup action, best get in quick because Eaton expects all apartments will be sold before the first game.

Most of the building's other apartments have been let - not short-term for the Cup, but under long-term agreements. Six two-bedroom apartments are available for long-term rental, priced between $580 and $680 a week. (Call 571 3161 if you're interested).

Mark Todd says he and Texas-based Preston are in the property game for the long-haul. They've spent $23 million on three Auckland residential property developments in three years. Todd says he's interested in "raising the quality of Auckland's apartment stock", and maintaining a "long-term capital base". The duo has established The Ockham Foundation, which recently gifted $300,000 to the University of Auckland to support the study of climate risk management.

Yes, there really is more to life than rugby.