As the first apartments in Tauranga’s Elizabeth Towers hit the open market, Sonya Bateson took a sneak peek inside and spoke to experts about what the $200 million-plus development means for the CBD.
Tauranga’s CBD is poised for an influx of people and experts believe it will be a “catalyst” for the city centre’s rejuvenation.
The first release of luxury apartments from the highly-anticipated Elizabeth Towers complex will hit the open market today and the first residents could move in from June.
The two towers on the corner of Devonport Rd and Elizabeth St have 96 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments; 23 two- and three-bedroom villas; a large sky garden complete with spa and heated 15m lap pool, an outdoor leisure area, gym, barbecues and communal gardens; and a shared lounge with catering facilities that opens out to the garden. Retail and hospitality offerings below include Farmers and restaurant Picnicka.
Image 1 of 9: An inside look at Elizabeth Towers in Tauranga. 10 April 2024, Bay of Plenty Times Photo / Alex Cairns
Tauranga City Council general manager of city development and partnerships Gareth Wallis said the 200-300 people who would be moving into the Elizabeth Towers would “really change the dynamic” of the city centre.
Add in the new council building being built on Devonport Rd for 800 staff, the Northern Quarter development on the old Sunny’s site on Hamilton St that will house Holland Beckett and Deloittes, and Wallis said there would be “somewhere north” of 1000 people either living or working in the CBD.
“That’s going to make a huge difference with the critical mass of people existing in the city centre every day.”
Wallis said more services and businesses would be needed.
“Where do I get my dry cleaning done, where do I get my keys cut? One thousand people need stuff. We will see the market start to respond because there are more people around. It’s exciting.”
Elizabeth Towers was the “catalyst” for that change, Wallis said. With the Craigs Investment Partners and Panorama Towers developments also under way along with council projects such as the waterfront development, there was an exciting amount of investment in the city centre.
Mainstreet Tauranga manager Genevieve Whitson said the apartments were “super positive” for the CBD.
“The last couple of years have been quite challenging for the city centre businesses. Having these apartments go on sale and get sold will bring in extra revenue to the city centre as well, which is well-needed.”
She said there was “non-stop construction” this year but the good outcomes would be starting to see more foot traffic and revenue for businesses.
“Last year the businesses had such a tough time. Everyone we’ve spoken to can’t wait for this to get under way.”
Bayleys is leading the sale of the apartments. Jon O’Connor, general manager of Bayleys Bay of Plenty, described the Elizabeth Towers development as the “heart of the city” and said it had boosted confidence in the city centre, evidenced by the number of cranes that could be seen.
“With all the investment that is happening, it bodes well for the future. There is construction going on everywhere and it’s for the betterment of the city. In another five years… it’s going to be a vastly different city.”
O’Connor said his office had calls daily from interested potential buyers following the development. A lot of interest was from Aucklanders.
He said Elizabeth Towers was the “first of its kind” in New Zealand - a mixed-use development on the scale of something you would see in Singapore or Melbourne.
We’re buzzed in through the shiny front entrance. The concierge’s desk is to our right, on our left is a wall of subtle black mailboxes, and straight ahead is an artwork by Whare Thompson representing the kūmara that once grew below our feet. To me, it’s a modern and clean first impression.
Through the first corridor we go and into the first elevator. Its walls are blue, to match the name of the tower we are ascending.
On the fourth floor we find the communal living spaces, shared between the Blue Tower and its aptly named sister to the west, Green.
The clubhouse is a large indoor space in which residents can spend a casual few hours socialising with neighbours or book an area to host a gathering of their own, perhaps even with catering. It’s light and intimate, with comfortable seating and tasteful decor.
Expansive glass doors to the west open into a large courtyard surrounded by outdoor furniture and barbecues, with the 15m-long heated lap pool and spa on the other side.
The sheer amount of outdoor space here seems astounding. You could be forgiven for thinking we were standing on the ground level of a beach resort, not a city centre apartment block.
That perspective is aided by the rows of planter boxes filled with flowers, leafy greens, and small fruit trees. The gardens are for the use of all residents, and they appear to me a visually pleasing way of separating the 23 adjacent villas from the rest of the sky garden.
The villa we tour is almost like a street-level townhouse – you walk through a gated outdoor patio into the open living areas, the staircase to the right leads to the upstairs bedrooms, laundry and bathroom, and directly ahead is a glass door opening to a surprisingly large deck and garden area. This villa has views towards Matapihi and, despite being on a lower floor, we still catch glimpses of the harbour.
To the Green Tower next to visit a range of apartments - a two-bedroom with a south-facing view towards Maungatapu, a one-bedroom and media room with north views over the CBD towards the Port of Tauranga, a two-bedroom corner apartment with views across the Waikareao Estuary, port, Mauao, and the Maungatapu Bridge, and the piece-de-resistance of the tour: A three-bedroom apartment on the 10th floor complete with two bathrooms, a separate toilet, a scullery, and a walk-in wardrobe.
We stand on the balcony and take in the sights - a plane flies in from the west, gliding across the southerly profile of Mauao before going to land at the airport. We can see the large timber beams of the new council building, the length of the Matapihi rail bridge, a container ship berthed at the port, and pedestrians walking beneath the leafy trees on Grey St.
The noise of a bustling city fills the air, and is abruptly cut off as we close the doors.
We leave the tower by the new staircase next to the Elizabeth St parking building and stop to admire the laneway connecting Elizabeth St and 1st Ave. We return to Earth beneath the shadow of the towers and walk into the city centre, following the path its new residents will soon take.
Sonya Bateson is an assistant news director at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post with more than a decade of experience reporting in the Bay of Plenty region.
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