The Salt development at the Mount. Photo / George Novak
A $55 million luxury residential development in Mount Maunganui will officially open next month.
The last of 71 new apartments and townhouses at the Salt development on the former Golden Grove Holiday Park campsite on Girven Rd are up for sale.
The original properties were snapped up in less than a month and the final dozen apartments and townhouses were now ready to be sold.
The development includes 52 apartments and 19 luxury townhouses as well as the New Shoots early childhood centre and a soon-to-open cafe.
Developer Paul Spillane said what was initially a dream had turned into a reality that was "even better than what we thought".
He said getting the mix of townhouses and apartments right was a tricky task but he was happy he and business partner Peter Gillespie had achieved what his clients had expressed from the beginning.
"I am very proud of what we have achieved. We look at it now and it is so close to what we had at the beginning," he said. "We managed to maintain the high standard."
Spillane said Covid-19 was a challenge and meant some construction delays, with the development just days from being completely finished before the country went into lockdown.
The development is now complete and will be officially opened in the first week of August.
Spillane said it was rare to find a development of Salt's size and calibre in such a sought-after location.
"We purchased the land in mid-2015 with the intention of creating a residential community that would allow more people to benefit from the lifestyle," he said.
"It had to be good quality. We wanted steel and concrete. We wanted to create something completely different."
His proudest achievement was delivering on what he said he would from the beginning.
"I never made an alteration of significance to the property and the cost was never affected in building it."
Grant White, of Colliers International in Tauranga, said when the development went on to the market in December 2016 about 24 properties sold off the plans within three weeks.
Another 44 properties sold in July last year.
"It sold out extremely well," he said.
"It sold predominantly to local people, some who live no more than 1 kilometre from here, and the balance is made up of people from Auckland, Waikato, etc, and some from the South Island."
Drive past the entrance to 1 Salt Ave and you can only see so far. Just a handful of luxury townhouses are visible from the road.
But walk through the development and you'll see Salt is so much more.
The apartments and townhouses are all different.
Centred around a landscaped garden with winding boardwalks leading to a bespoke waterfall, each apartment and two-storey townhouses has its own individual identity.
Outside, the Salt ragdoll cat Benji is perched on one of the large apartment balconies appearing to be taking on the role of a furry, four-legged security guard.
Inside, the two-storey townhouses and apartments feature either two or three-bedrooms, open plan living rooms and pitched roof lines that make the rooms appear ever so spacious.
The modern interiors have neutral colour palettes and include walk-in wardrobes and cleverly-designed cupboards with maximised use of storage space.
The empty cafe space that is awaiting a new tenant teases the imagination of sipping on a coffee or grabbing a bite to eat after dropping the children at the conveniently-located childcare centre - both on site.
While just a short stroll from the beach, golf course, Bayfair Shopping Centre, medical centres and bus stops, the Salt development provides a quiet haven away from the hustle and bustle of the Mount.
Wesley Rowe has bought his first home at age 22 in a luxury apartment at the Mount.
But it's not by luck or good fortune. Rowe saved as hard as he could after leaving college and followed his father's advice to be able to secure a step on the property ladder.
He didn't go to university but he does have a two-bedroom, one-bathroom, luxury apartment at Mount Maunganui's newest development - Salt - to call his own.
"I managed to save up a fair bit working straight after school," he said.
Rowe saw the Salt showroom with his mum and dad and "fell in love with the idea".
"It was a new build, very cool and something exciting.
"It is close to the Mount, the beach, Bayfair. It's just a great location."
Rowe said he didn't go to university after high school so his dad advised him to get a job and save for his own house.
Contributing a small amount of board while living with his parents, Rowe was able to save up the money he earned working in a job straight after leaving Aquinas College.
He saved even more since securing a job as a local truck driver.
With a little help from his parents, KiwiSaver and the HomeStart Grant, he was able to get together a 10 per cent deposit to buy an apartment off the plans.
"There were times I didn't get to go out with my mates," he said. "But it was just about constantly saving and living within your means."
Rowe said "uni isn't for everyone" but he felt proud of what he had achieved at such a young age.
Owning his own home was something he "definitely strived towards".
He moved in May this year with a close friend of his who is helping him pay the mortgage.
"It was fantastic to finally be able to move in."
Chris and Kaye Boyd moved into the Salt development just three weeks ago.
The couple put their deposit down in December 2016 but delays due to the Covid-19 lockdown meant they have only just moved in.
Now settled into their new three-bedroom townhouse, Chris said he and his wife could not be happier.
"It is modern contemporary living," he said. "We are very happy here."
Boyd, who works at Colliers International in Tauranga, said he and his wife had been looking to shift from Tauranga to the Mount for a while.
"We wanted something new and obviously this is brand new and something of good quality along the coastal strip."
The couple had previously lived in their large family home in Pillans Point.
"Our kids have grown up and have moved on so it was time for us to downsize."
Tauranga mayor Tenby Powell said the development was making innovative use of a desirable site to deliver both higher density land use and a high-quality outcome "in terms of creating a vibrant living environment".
"Our fast-growing city needs to build up, as well as out, and developments such as this help to meet that goal.
"We also need a diversity of dwelling types, catering for a broad spectrum of housing needs and Salt's range of apartment and townhouse sizes will attract a variety of buyer interest."
Mount Maunganui/Pāpāmoa ward councillor Dawn Kiddie said the city needed different forms of housing.
"Because it has sold quickly, there is obviously a need for it," she said.
"It suits both the younger people and retirees. I believe we need to cater for all social-economic groups.
"I am really proud of what has gone in there."
History of the site
- Previously the Golden Grove Holiday Park
- First owners of the site listed in 1994
- Site first registered as a camping ground in 1998
- Historic document to the Mount Borough Council refers to the site being used as a campground in 1968
Source: Tauranga City Council