Moving into an apartment was always part of Kath Watson and Derek Lindsay's longer term plan to "future-proof" their lifestyle.
But five years ago when the couple were living happily in a stylish Parnell villa they had renovated in Elam St, they had no immediate plans to switch to apartmentliving.
"With apartments, you tend to think: 'Off ground, small balcony, confined space'," says Derek, who was initially reluctant when Kath told him she had found an exceptional apartment.
"Derek came kicking and screaming at first. But once he got here he absolutely loved it," says Kath.
"When this one came on the market in 2011, we thought we had to snaffle it because it has so much going for it," she says.
The spacious, two-bedroom apartment is in one of two blocks that make up the White Heron Apartments in Parnell's St Stephens Ave.
A total of 19 luxury apartments were built in 2009 on the site of the former White Heron Hotel and Kath and Derek's ground-floor apartment is one of eight in the Hobson block.
The apartments have harbour views and north-facing grounds that front onto Resolution Point, a quiet reserve at the no-exit end of St Stephens Ave, one of Auckland's most prestigious streets.
Hallmarks of the apartments include high quality construction, spacious, private layout, ample guest parking, good security, beautifully landscaped common grounds and a residents' gym.
Kath and Derek's apartment also has its own private front lawn and two terraces, which give it the feel of a sophisticated townhouse.
Image 1 of 7: Once reluctant to move into this apartment, the owner is now reluctant to leave -- but Waiheke is calling. Photos / Ted Baghurst
Having exclusive-use, outdoor areas at either end of the open-plan living area creates excellent indoor-outdoor flow and an added sense of space in what, at 166sq m excluding the garden, garaging and terraces, is already a large apartment.
Stud heights of 2.6m in the well-proportioned rooms enhance this sense of space.
Being on the north-western corner of the Hobson block means the apartment gets plenty of light through tall windows down one side of the living area. Louvres provide shade in summer.
A lift that also services two other apartments takes you to the main entrance, which opens to a lobby with the main living on the left.
At one end of this, a large Poggenpohl kitchen opens to the back terrace, which catches the afternoon sun and is an ideal entertaining area.
A large office, which could be used as a third bedroom, opens to the back terrace and is separated from the main living by a sturdy sliding door.
Both bedrooms have beautiful, tiled en suites and excellent storage space.
The master also has a luxurious bath in its en suite that is divided from the main room by a wall with louvres that can be closed for privacy.
Off the lobby are a separate laundry and a large powder room.
The apartment's many features include air conditioning, underfloor heating in the bathrooms and kitchen as well as two heat pads under the carpeted living areas, a gas fire and top-of-the-line Miele appliances in the kitchen and laundry.
The two carparks are directly beneath the apartment.
Derek and Kath installed a wine fridge in the kitchen, extra inbuilt shelving in the office and created feature walls in the bathrooms with beautiful imported wallpaper.
