- Former swimming champ Philippa Gower finds local buyers for her Auckland penthouse.
- The three-bedroom apartment boasts panoramic views of the city and the harbour.
- Agent declines to talk about price but OneRoof understands it's a multi-million-dollar deal.
New Zealand swimming legend Philippa Gower has sold multi-million-dollar Auckland penthouse, OneRoof can reveal.
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Gower, who broke four world records before she turned 18, put her home of 35 years on the market at the end of 2023.
Ray White listing agent Ross Hawkins confirmed he found a buyer for the three-bedroom apartment at the top of Highpoint, at 119 Stephens Avenue, in Parnell, towards the end of last year.
He said the listing was a joy to have.
“It’s a premium place for a real estate agent to hang out because when you’re standing up there you can see every single house in Parnell.”
Olympic swimmer Philippa Gower broke four records before she had turned 18. Photo / New Zealand Herald
The view from the top of the Highpoint building takes in the harbour, Rangitoto, Little Barrier Island, the Bombay hills, and the Waitakere Ranges.
“It's just unobstructed. You wouldn't get the permission to build something like that in a location like that again.”
The apartment building dates to the 1960s and was built by Fletchers, Hawkins said. “It’s always had well-known Auckland families in there.”
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Hawkins said Gower was one of the tower's high-profile residents. “She still holds world record swimming records from when she was 16 years old and she is now in her mid-80s.”
Hawkins declined to talk about the sale price but OneRoof understands it was a multimillion-dollar deal.
Hawkins said many of the apartments in the building had changed hands in recent years as the older generation made way for the next generation coming through.
“Most people who have bought them have remodelled them and this one is due for a remodel," he said.
The new owners are expected to give the apartment a makeover. Photo / Supplied
The property boasts great views of the city and harbour. Photo / Supplied
The new owners were locals who were downsizing from the family home as the children had flown the coop, he said.
“There's a lot of that happening with the baby boomers.
“They are sort of in that circa 60 age bracket looking for the lock-up-and-leave lifestyle. Highpoint has got beautiful gardens and grounds but they get looked after for you - you don't have to do the lawns.”
When OneRoof wrote about the property a year ago Gower told how she had jumped at the chance to buy the penthouse.
“We rented an apartment first and once we got there, I said that I never wanted to move out because the view was so fabulous. Then the penthouse came up for sale and we finally bought it, and we’ve been there for 35 years.”
She told OneRoof how she thought the building’s design was by famed New Zealand architect Surrey S. Alleman, who collaborated with Auckland mayor at the time, Roy McElroy, to have it built.
Gower - who was an Olympian backstroker, a Commonwealth bronze medal winner, a New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame inductee and a Halberg Sportswoman of the Year winner – also told OneRoof she loved the proximity to local pools.
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