Wayne and Eleanor Gates traded their rambling Rothesay Bay home for an inner-city apartment when the long commute to work and school got the better of them. They have not had a single regret since.
Daughter Alicia had been attending St Cuthbert's College on a music scholarship and Wayne was working in Onehunga when the Gates decided the daily 37km commute was too punishing.
"Alicia was getting up at 5am to get to school and coming home on the bus at 5pm. Moving into the city became the obvious thing to do," says Eleanor.
As son Jonathon was leaving home, they also needed something smaller than the five-bedroom home they had spent 12 years renovating after moving to New Zealand from England.
A few years after moving here in 1995, they had also bought a bach on Waiheke Island, which they still own. So, although moving into an apartment would be a big change, they knew they would be able to escape to Waiheke at weekends.
Their Graham St apartment is in the four-storey The Galleries complex, which includes three levels with eight apartments on each as well as four penthouses.
The solid concrete complex was built only a few years before the Gates bought their ground-level apartment, The Galleries' former show home, in 2009. The Galleries is tucked beside Auckland Council's customer services building in Graham St, which runs off Victoria St East.
"We've always seen the apartment block as a well-kept secret and that has been a real plus," says Wayne, adding their apartment gives them all the advantages of central city life without the usual noise. "We're 150m from the Sky Tower but we are not on the main drag so we don't hear any traffic or pedestrian noise. It is quiet here in rush hour and there is no traffic at the weekends."
As well as having the Sky Tower and Victoria Park on their doorstep, the waterfront including Wynyard Quarter, is just a few minutes' walk away. Jacob's Ladder and Westhaven Promenade are favourite walks and the couple also cycle around the waterfront at the weekend.
Image 1 of 3: Skip long commutes and enjoy waterfront bike rides or strolls from this stylish apartment
Their pet-friendly, 179sq m apartment is large by city standards and includes two basement carparks, a lock-up and storage. The apartment's neutral decor, quality fittings and well-thought-out floor plan have stood the test of time, and meant Wayne and Eleanor have made only minimal cosmetic changes during seven years here.
All three bedrooms and both bathrooms are spacious and the large open-plan kitchen has plenty of cupboards and drawers and ample bench space. Nifty features include pop-up electric sockets in the stainless steel island bench, and retractable lighting for the hob.
The kitchen adjoins a large dining space and lounge with north-facing sliding doors that open to an outdoor room. A second set of sliding doors connects this conservatory-style space to the balcony. In good weather, both areas can be opened up to become a single al fresco space.
Glass sliding doors also open to the deck from the sunny master bedroom, which has a large en suite behind a walk-in wardrobe.
A solid sliding door that separates the master bedroom from the lounge reveals a flat screen TV and extra shelving when it is pulled shut. At the other end of the open-plan living room, a smaller sliding door, when pulled back, reveals a small office.
Having low overheads are among the many advantages of what Wayne and Eleanor say is a well-run body corporate whose annual fees include gas and hot water charges.
The Gates are selling their apartment so they can build an eco-house on a section they own in Beach Haven, which will be closer to their son and daughter-in-law who live in Dairy Flat.
