SCHOOL ZONES:
Freemans Bay School, Ponsonby Intermediate, Auckland Girls’ Grammar, Western Springs College.
CONTACT:
Cheryl Regan, Bayleys, 021 772 583.
After living in an apartment with sea views in Abu Dhabi, Helen and John Byers were keen to have a waterfront apartment when they moved to Auckland.
After some searching, they settled on this apartment at The Parc, with its northwest aspect and views over the Viaduct.
"What I liked here was you do your living at the front of the house with the harbour views, and the other side overlooking the garden is more private and quiet," says Helen. "It's a great part of town; there is so much to do around here and when the sky is blue the water looks phenomenal out there. In the morning my husband and I do an hour's walk around the waterfront to see what boats are in at the moorings."
Residents of The Parc also benefit from a shared garden, a large oval with a gavel path and flowering cherry trees encircling a swathe of lawn. It's an inner city oasis hidden from view, and also boasts fruit trees, vegetable patches and herb gardens.
The bedrooms in Helen and John's apartment overlook this scene, as well as the communal pool, which has an outdoor entertaining area. Other facilities on site include a gym, sauna and spa pool.
For Helen and John the fact their apartment is a leasehold property meant they could secure a great apartment in a fantastic position at a reasonable price.
Though there have been negative stories about leasehold properties, Helen says the terms of the lease at The Parc are clear as are the mechanisms for ground rent review and rental dispute.
And she loves that the body corporate has a clear budget and timeline for maintenance and improvements.
When the Byers moved in four years ago, they decided to renovate before all their belongings turned up from the Middle East, with new carpet going down the day before their container arrived.
"We literally gutted the apartment," says Helen. "We replaced the carpets, re-tiled and re-did the en suite."
They also remodelled the kitchen, stealing a bit of space from the next door walk-in wardrobe adjoining the master suite. "The old kitchen didn't support the quality of the apartment so we changed the layout, put storage in right up to the ceiling and made the bench wide so we could fit in more storage underneath."
Shelves and cupboards were installed around the gas fireplace, and the separate laundry was remodelled.
"When we came here we thought we would be staying in town so we decided to make the investment in the apartment," says Helen.
Another nice feature of the apartment is you step straight out of the elevator into a private lobby before turning into the living area.
Here you are drawn towards the views over Waitemata Plaza and the Viaduct.
A covered patio with heaters and drop down plastic sides makes for all-weather outdoor dining.
Image 1 of 5: A shared garden, waterfront views, open-plan living and a centre-of-the-action vibe, all add to this apartment's appeal
The open-plan kitchen/dining/living space means these views can be enjoyed wherever you are in this room.
On the southern side of the apartment are three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a laundry.
