Nine years ago, Gay and Donald Marriott moved into this luxury first-level apartment at The Point, looking out to the Viaduct Harbour.
Donald quite liked the idea of being on one of the higher levels but Gay was keen to live on the first floor.
She reasoned the bonus of being on the first level was that, no matter whether you are standing in the lounge, the master bedroom or further back in the kitchen, you can always see the water.
"You become part of the Viaduct when you are on level one," says Gay, "which of course is still elevated."
"It was an exciting project due to the pending America's Cup." (Auckland's first defence of the Cup was in 2000).
Fletchers built The Point, a leasehold building with five levels of 85 apartments, constructed using concrete, steel, stainless steel and cedar.
The building on the Customs St West site, looking out to the Waitemata Plaza and Lighter Basin, is an L shape.
103 / 121 Customs St West. Photo / Supplied
The Point has two street entrances at Customs St West and Pakenham St East, and residents have parking in the basement, plus use of the complex's lap pool, sauna and gym.
Gay and Donald's northwest-facing apartment gets plentiful sunlight most of the day but especially during the afternoon.
As you come in through the door to the short entrance hallway with wooden flooring, there is a carpeted bedroom to the left.
Also on the left are the tiled bathroom and carpeted master bedroom with its walk-in wardrobe and en suite plus glass doors to the deck.
On the right, by the entry, is the generously sized, wooden-floored kitchen with lots of storage, new granite benchtops and new F&P appliances, and the breakfast bar next to the living and dining area.
This living area opens to the deck that has a sliding cedar screen that can be closed for privacy and shelter during the cooler months, or opened for alfresco dining on warm days.
"What sets these apartments apart from others is we all have front apartments with views of the water," says Gay.
