Get Bruce Wayne on the Batphone. We’ve found the perfect Auckland pad for him and his alter ego should he ever decide to take a break from crime-fighting in Gotham City.
The super penthouse at the top of the 155m-high Metropolis tower has hit the market for sale, with all the glamour and design touches a superhero might need.
The four-bedroom, 300sqm home has the most marble of any property on the market right now, and is probably the only home in New Zealand with a rotating car that also doubles as a bed.
Ray White agent Ricky Cave, who is marketing 3801/1 Courthouse Lane with colleague Jayne Kiely, told OneRoof: “The rotating Chevy would be the most insane bedroom in New Zealand. I’ve been in real estate for 15 years and sold some luxurious properties, but this would be the most lavish.
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“The deck is almost at the same level as the Sky Tower, and there’s a bar area beside it. I’d call it New Zealand’s Tony Stark [Iron Man] mansion, but the whole theme of the apartment is Gotham City.
“There are all sorts of hidden doors, hydraulic openings. TVs even come down from the ceilings. The engineering costs would have been crazy.”
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Cave said the property was priced at $10 million. “It is good to float that number,” he said, adding that viewings were by appointment only. “We’ll be looking for expat buyers as well as locals. It’s going to be a unique buyer.”
The owner, who did not wish to be named in the article for privacy reasons, told OneRoof he bought the penthouse for just over $3m from tech millionaire Charles Shrimpton more than a decade ago.
He said Shrimpton was in the process of renovating the apartment and had just installed $300,000 worth of timber flooring when he changed his mind and decided to sell.
The owner promptly stripped back the apartment to its concrete shell and then started the process of decorating it to his tastes.
The four-bedroom apartment comes with two standout decks and stunning views. Photo / Supplied
The rotating car bed had to be airlifted by helicopter into the penthouse. Photo / Supplied
He deployed 1000sqm of marble and onyx, imported from Turkey, and gave the apartment a Batman vibe, inspired by the tower’s Manhattan look. Pride of place on one of the walls is the Bat symbol and the words “Gotham City”.
The installation of the car bed – which cheekily has the word “divorce” on the licence plate and includes a fridge – was one for the movies. It had to be airlifted to the penthouse by helicopter, one the owner had to hire from Australia because no Kiwi chopper was strong enough to do the job. The surrounding streets and roads had to be closed off while the car was in the air.
“The pilot had his leg out of the door at one point and the whole helicopter was shaking – it was jumping up and down. We went over Albert Park and dropped it onto the deck,” he said, noting that it was the last helicopter drop of its kind in central Auckland.
The whole fit-out took three years, with the owner and his long-term partner finally moving in 2016.
The marble and onyx used to cover the walls and floors were imported from Turkey. Photo / Supplied
The penthouse is one of the highest in New Zealand. Photo / Supplied
He told OneRoof he was particularly proud of the hidden electronics and engineering. There are 14 TV screens in the apartment but you won’t find a single one in the listing photos or on display.
“Like the doors, they are all hidden. Everything is hidden,” he said.
And like Bruce Wayne, the look of the apartment changes at night. “The beauty about living here is during the day you’ve got the best views of Auckland, but when it’s dark you’ve pretty much got a nightclub,” he said.
The owner also revealed to OneRoof why he was selling up. “It’s been 10 years. I believe 10 years is a good investment. Time for a new adventure. I like to do new things, new projects.”
One thing is certain. He won’t be taking the car bed with him. “I’m selling everything. Nothing is moving,” he said.
- 3801/1 Courthouse Lane, in Auckland Central, is for sale
