St Marys Bay

By CHARLOTTE COSSAR

St Marys Bay is often thought of as Ponsonby's purely residential domain. Being a classic inner-city suburb, the area hosts many of Auckland's grand old ladies in a relatively confined area. One could say St Marys Bay is a part of Ponsonby, Freemans Bay and Herne Bay - which is partly true, but each locale has its own distinct character and attraction to different residents.

As 12-year resident Hazel states: "St Marys Bay has what many other central city suburbs lack - views, views, views. I actually love the outlook over the motorway through to Westhaven Marina and the Harbour Bridge. Others may see this as a downside to this suburb, but to me it is an exquisite attraction."

What St Marys Bay does have are some top quality and highly sought-after examples of turn-of-the-century residential architecture, often on small sections. Coupled with the elegant, gentrified older houses, there are numerous apartments - which vary in size from one-bedroom studios to more family-size dwellings - as well as modernised older homes and completely new ones.

The demographics of St Marys Bay also reflect the assortment of residences. Inhabitants range from prosperous single high-earners and dinkies through to one- and two-child families in the bigger houses. And a sizeable number of the apartments have been purchased with pink dollars.

In keeping with the locations, many of the houses in the suburb are villas or bungalows. While many have already been renovated (some beyond recognition), there is still much potential for home-handy people ready to foot the neighbourhood price tags. Locals are typically fashion conscious - across all dimensions. One major drawback of the area, however, is that with generally small section sizes, the availability of off-street parking tends to be limited.

Demand for properties is fuelled by the area's close proximity to the CBD with its consequent lack of traffic problems. Of course, immigration has played its part as well, but many newcomers to the area arrive from other Auckland locations - driven by fascination with bright lights, cosmopolitanism and closeness to all the attractions.

Prices in St Marys Bay are high - there are plenty of dwellings selling for over the $1 million mark. Typical of properties available are six-bedroom family homes asking up to $2 million and numerous apartments. These are often in recently completed buildings and go for anywhere between the mid-$200,000s for a one-bedroom dwelling to around $700,000 for a four-bedroom place. Apartment floor areas are not huge, with one- and two-bedroom units commanding floor spaces of 50sq m to 70sq m.

The area's amenities are definitely higher-end and well-patronised by local residents. The obvious cafes and restaurants are scattered among the homeware, clothing, jewellery and specialty stores along Ponsonby and Jervois Rds. Despite some beliefs to the contrary, the location is well represented by primary and secondary schools, including Ponsonby Primary School, St Marys College and Auckland Girls Grammar. Parks and open spaces are also in abundance - Coxs Bay, Western Park and Grey Lynn Park to name a few, and one should never forget the close proximity to the zoo and Western Springs.