It’s now a case of seeing is believing at One Saint Stephens, with the final two extraordinary penthouses complete and ready to be experienced.
These two residences are regarded as the crown jewels of the development and of the 28 in total, are the only two that remain for sale in the latest development by Countrywide Properties and Experience by Coopers.
Agents and prospective buyers alike were wowed at a recent evening showcase, where upwards of 90 guests were fully immersed in the majesty of the penthouses’ finish, detailing and views.
Even co-developer Martin Cooper, from Experiences by Coopers, also confessed to being blown away at the finished product, despite working on the project for four years.
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“When some of the top real estate agents are saying, ‘wow, I wasn’t expecting this’, you know you’ve reset expectations as to what a luxury apartment is. The team has done a wonderful job.”
He says it certainly helped that he and co-developer Michael Sullivan had such an incredible backdrop to work with, which is particularly evident in penthouse 502.
“It’s one of the most panoramic, iconic Auckland views. You see from the city skyline around to Waiheke, North Head and Rangitoto and all the way up to Tiri – it’s going to be pretty hard to replicate that ever again. At the showcase it went from light, through to dusk and then night – with the fireplaces on it felt like sitting on a terrace in New York.”
This special, elevated aspect at the top of Parnell means the outlook is beautifully multifaceted and has equally as much life at night as it does during the day. At 339sqm, penthouse 502 also boasts the proportions of a large home, with all the benefits of easy, lock-and-leave apartment living.
“It’s single level so you haven’t got the wasted space of stairs and as it comes with storage downstairs and four-car garaging, it’s more like a 400-450sqm home. Plus you’ve got all the amenities and if you go away for three months, someone else looks after everything for you.
Penthouse 503 at 1 St Stephens Avenue in Parnell, Auckland, is for sale for $8.25m. Photo / Supplied
One Saint Stephens has earned a place on the shortlist for the Property Council NZ Property Industry Awards 2025. Photo / Supplied
“We had 40 or 50 people in the apartment at one time during the showcase and with the way the spaces work, it easily handled a crowd of that size. It’s a beautiful place to host people.”
It also includes three fireplaces, a dedicated media lounge and entertaining bar, a wraparound balcony and winter garden. Interiors are living works of art, with curved hand-plastered walls, negative detailing, natural stone, steel-framed doors with fine leather handles and hand-blown glass lights outside to welcome residents home.
While 503 incorporates all this same detailing, the apartment itself is on a more modest scale, at 188sqm.
Cooper says it’s ideal for buyers looking for a slightly smaller pad in Auckland, but with the same level of luxury.
“We’ve had people saying that they don’t need quite as big a place in Auckland at the moment as they have a beach house or a big place in Queenstown. Because it’s on the northeast corner, as well as the sea, it gets massive wrapround views back towards the leafy slopes of Remuera.”
The building’s amenities take it to another level – including The Tod Dining, Lounge & Speakeasy Bar, pool and wellness areas and dog wash pod. Residents are also using clever lifestyle technology to move about the building without the need for keys and have a custom phone app for chatting with other residents and setting up times to meet and easily booking amenities.
Closet space in penthouse 502. Photo / Supplied
Residents share an app for chatting with other residents and setting up times to meet and book amenities. Photo / Supplied
“Feedback has been amazing. Even people who thought they wouldn’t use the amenity as much are using it more than they were expecting and fostering that sense of connection with neighbours. We have one guy who plans to use the dining room for his boardroom meetings, instead of shooting off to the office.”
Unsurprisingly, the accolades have already started to stream in. One Saint Stephens has earned a place on the shortlist for the Property Council NZ Property Industry Awards 2025 and, together with MAP+ architects, the Te Kāhui Whaihanga NZ Institute of Architects Auckland Branch Architecture Awards.
Cooper notes the limited edition nature of these two exquisite homes.
“Finding these sites is not easy and it’s still a challenging environment to deliver these projects. We had some people buy at the end of last year and they came through with the sentiment of, ‘if not now, when?’.
“The gestation of something of this nature tends to be three to four years, so there’s not a lot of new stock at that level coming through and it would be unlikely to be of the same quality in that location. After the lucky owners purchase these final two apartments, that’ll be it for a long time.”
Penthouse 502 at 1 St Stephens Avenue in Parnell, Auckland, is priced at $15.25m; penthouse 503 is priced at $8.25m.
- Sponsored by Cooper and Associates
