KEY POINTS:
Apartment GG,
The Connaught,
14 Waterloo Quadrant,
Auckland City.
Apartment GG in The Connaught is one-of-a-kind in the building. On the ground floor and occupying the northeastern corner, the apartment has a large, paved, wrap-around balcony which can be walked on to from the apartment's two double bedrooms and from two sides of the open-plan living and dining space. Because it's on the ground floor, the apartment has the benefit of easy access from the building's marble-tiled foyer. However, because The Connaught is built on a slope, apartment GG doesn't feel earth-bound at all. Looking at the view of North Head and down to the law school next door, you feel as if you're a few storeys up.
Karen and Mark Thomas bought apartment GG just as the building was being finished nine years ago. "We knew the developer had a good reputation and that it was well-built," Karen says.
Besides the apartment being on the ground floor, one of the biggest attractions was the 3m-high stud.
Buying when they did, the Thomases were able to put their own stamp on the decor. They took out the standard carpet and put in a timber floor. They also hung linen curtains to make the rooms feel light and breezy. "You get a lovely cool breeze in the summer with the full-length windows on both sides," Karen says.
The couple also put up tall bookshelves throughout and had the second bedroom set up as a study. Karen was doing postgraduate work at the university at the time so this apartment was the perfect location.
Mark said the other thing they really liked about the apartment was the balcony. "It's huge compared with most apartment balconies. We had it set up with a barbecue and a reasonably large table." A mass of plants and a watering system made it a lovely secluded haven.
Like many apartment dwellers, Karen and Mark say having a building manager who takes care of things such as the rubbish, the pool and couriers makes life easy. "The building has always had very good managers who will water your plants when you're away and let tradesmen in," Karen says. She says the managers have also been good at noise control, too, although with most of The Connaught's 155 apartments being owner-occupied, noise is hardly ever a problem.
The Connaught is on the doorstep of the university and the High Court, making it an ideal pad for academics or legal people. Karen says you could spend most of the week not needing your car. There are lots of good cafes nearby and the Thomases' favourite restaurant, The O'Connell St Bistro, is only five minutes' walk away.
"It's quite a bustling area in the week but really nice and peaceful during the weekend, which is nice," Karen says. "We did lots of cycling, mainly along the waterfront. There are lockers downstairs where you can store your bikes.
"It's very convenient. There are even trolleys on the parking levels for you to bring your groceries up."
SIZE: 100 sq m, including decks.
PRICE INDICATION: Interest expected around $500,000. Body corporate fee $5443 pa. Auction January 30.
INSPECT: Phone for viewing times.
ON THE WEB: www.barfoot.co.nz/379899.
CONTACT: Liz McCarthy or Alan Vessey, Barfoot & Thompson, ph Liz 027 499 1573, Alan 021 663 000, 307 6340 bus.
FEATURES: Ground-floor apartment with wrap-around balcony, built-in furniture, 3m high stud. Use of gym and 15m indoor pool. On-site manager, CCTV security.