ON OFFER::
Leasehold, two-bedroom, two-bathroom, air-conditioned penthouse overlooking Viaduct Harbour. Two carparks, three storage lockers, one of which is large walk-in storage.
PRICE INDICATION:
CV $1.09 million. Annual body corporate fees: $19,739.25. Annual ground rent fees: total $19,788.96. Next seven-year review on October 1, 2019.
CONTACT:
Alex Allan or Rita Herceg, Barfoot & Thompson. Alex 021888 369, Rita 021066 9852.
For Joanna Chen, one of those idle 'Wouldn't it be nice to live up there?' thoughts over an al-fresco lunch has turned into six years of apartment living -- it's better than she could have imagined.
Joanna and her husband, both from Taiwan, were living in Takapuna when they came into the city one weekend, stopping for lunch at one of Viaduct Harbour's waterside restaurants.
Their daughter Wendy Wang was with them and remembers her mother's comment and their subsequent discovery at the real estate agents' office that this apartment was on the market.
Wendy says: "It was this exact same apartment that mum had looked up at that day and said she wished she could live in."
Within hours of their first visit to this penthouse apartment in The Quays development, they had completed paperwork to buy what has been an ideal family base.
For all of them, along with Joanne and Wendy, and one 1-year-old baby William, this apartment has provided security and an enviable apartment lifestyle, especially when their respective husbands are back in Taiwan on business.
The apartment's corner location means they have urban and water views to the north and west and a floor plan with double the flexibility usually found in city apartments.
The two double bedrooms, with carpet set into the timber flooring, are located diagonally opposite each other beyond the living and dining areas finished with timber herringbone flooring.
The first bedroom is near the front door, accessible through a discreet laundry/bathroom that can be locked either at the hallway end or at the bedroom end to function as either an en suite or a guest bathroom.
Image 1 of 3: Step out of this deluxe apartment to a world of yachts, harbourside strolls and eateries
Sliding glass doors lead to the balcony that overlooks Market Square. Similarly, sliding doors separate this bedroom from the built-in study area that's part of the wider open-plan living area.
The apartment design ensures that, on both sides, the living and dining areas and the second bedroom and en suite have balcony access, with screens for a sense of enclosure and for filtered natural light.
The dining area has its own balcony suitable for a barbecue. The living area has eye-level sliding glass doors that take in the view across Viaduct Harbour. It is the same outlook from the rear kitchen with its light oak-style timber cabinetry, textured stainless work bench and marble waterfall island bench and splash back.
The second bedroom is to the right, at the end of the hallway as it leads into the living area. The door into this wing is to the right of the timber screen which obscures the outdoor views from the front door. According to Wendy, it is one of many features of this apartment that are in keeping with the principles of Feng Shui.
This bedroom has floor-to-ceiling oak-style cabinetry and opens to an expansive en suite. Its balcony opens up to the breezy vibe of Viaduct Harbour as much or as little as they wish.
Now this family is about to relocate to Taiwan and they'll be moving back to apartment living there that offers views, not of yachts, boats, luxury cars and harbourside living, but of traffic and lots of buildings.
Wendy says: "This is more like a holiday home than a family home really. My parents love to just sit and watch the view and the people from here, and they're so close to everything in the city. For all of us, it feels as if we are on holiday."
