Browns Bay: Oceans of room

Auckland's apartment lifestyle has reached the upper East Coast Bays, discovers Graham Hepburn.

Esplanade Apartments, Beachfront Lane, Browns Bay.

With the arrival of beachfront apartments, Browns Bay is starting to shrug off its image of being a sleepy seaside suburb.

Esplanade Apartments is one of the apartment buildings that have sprung up on Beachfront Lane. It has views of the pohutukawa studded beach reserve and the sea beyond.

Desley McCowan, the agent for two apartments up for sale, says it's a good time to buy into the Esplanade as Beachfront Lane is due for a $3.5 million pedestrian-friendly upgrade. North Shore City Council is planning to build a boardwalk along the lane to link the shops and the beach. The plan is for the boardwalk to have small ice cream shops, juice bars or coffee outlets.

And the council wants the shops, which turn their backs to the sea, to open out to the boardwalk and beachfront to encourage a vibrant seaside atmosphere.

Work will begin after the sewerage upgrade that should stop stormwater runoff and make the beach a lot safer for swimming. McCowan says these improvements are helping to make Browns Bay an up-and-coming area.

"The shops have improved out of sight here, and it's a great place to live if you just want to grab a bus into town, or if you work locally. One of these apartments is perfect for a lock up and leave lifestyle."

McCowan says one of the advantages of the Esplanade is that the apartments have tiled decks either end, facing east and west. The main deck facing the beach also has full height wooden shutters for privacy. And a hose outlet has been thoughtfully installed for anyone wanting to water their plants or wash something down.

"They're neat apartments because they are quite big and you have this open plan look right the way through," she says.

The apartments have two living areas at opposite ends and a double-sided gas fire sited centrally, with the formal lounge on one side and the dining area on the other.

The kitchen is fitted with Smeg appliances and has stone benchtops.

The master bedroom has a large walk-in wardrobe and a tiled en suite with his and hers basins. There is also a separate laundry next to the second bathroom.

The apartments, which have a mixture of carpet and wooden flooring, are painted in neutral colours.

Marcelline Courtenay, who sold her Bayswater house to buy one of the Esplanade's two penthouses, is happy she made the move. She shifted to be closer to family and a property she has up north.

"I believe Browns Bay will really go ahead," says Marcelline. "It's the closest beach to Albany, it's very handy to the motorway and the shops, but it's also a very laidback area, which is what I wanted. It's not on a main route with traffic coming through it.

"These apartments are great because they are real suntraps in summer. It's one of the few apartment blocks with decks both ends so you can move around depending on the time of day. And you get a nice breeze through the house."

Marcelline says a bonus is that the apartments are wired so you can control all your home entertainment from wall-mounted consoles.

She says she is slowly getting used to apartment living, and is looking forward to the council completing the work along the beachfront.

Vital Statistics

SIZE: 185sq m.

PRICES: No. 5 $950,000, No. 7 $1.05 million.

INSPECT: Sat/Sun 1-2pm.

CONTACT: Desley McCowan, Bayleys, ph 477 0200 bus, 027 5653 636.

FEATURES: Open plan apartment living with gas fire and underfloor heating. Master bedroom has walk-in wardrobe and en suite. Views over Browns Bay.