John and Joy Hall call their waterfront apartment at The Point their honeymoon home.
It's their love story that led to them buying here. Joy was a city girl, relishing having Ponsonby's lifestyle handy to her Franklin Rd villa. John's life revolved more around the water with his home bythe beach on Waiheke Island and his yacht at Westhaven.
They probably would have been happy continuing with those two domiciles were it not for being invited out to dinner at Prego with friends and family 12 years ago. Joy and John made an instant connection. Six months later, at the same restaurant, John proposed.
By this stage, the two were ferrying between the island and the city, so they decided to buy a place together closer to the ferry.
After a Saturday morning walking around Auckland's waterfront, they enquired if any of the north-facing apartments at the Viaduct's The Point building were for sale.
"We knew what we wanted," Joy says. "I wanted a good-sized kitchen and good space in the living room because I like having people around."
They viewed this first-level unit that same day and decided to buy, preferring one bedroom because the layout has the bedroom at the back, allowing the lounge to occupy the full width and open to the covered deck. They have a lovely entrance, too, which to Joy makes the apartment feel like a home.
As you come into this foyer, the bedroom and en suite are on the left, then the guest toilet.
A doorway from the foyer opens into the living space which has the spacious and well-equipped kitchen plus lounge where Joy and John have their eight-seat dining table looking over the Viaduct harbour, and opening out to the deck.
"Every apartment in this wing faces the water," Joy says.
"And being north-facing, we are sheltered from the predominant westerly wind.
Image 1 of 4: Waterfront pad was a couple's honeymoon haven; now it's time for them to move on
The Point is six minutes' walk from the Waiheke ferry and handy, too, to Westhaven.
"I could drive John and our things around to the yacht at Westhaven, bring the car back here and then John would park the boat out in front of the apartments and I would jump on."
The couple are selling because Joy no longer works full time in the city. "We live on Waiheke now and it is hard to justify the apartment," Joy says.
"I will miss it because it has always been a welcoming place to come.
