Luxury apartments in Parnell ‘setting a new benchmark’

Completion is imminent at arguably New Zealand’s finest and most feted apartment building – One Saint Stephens in Parnell.

Of the 28 luxury residences, expected to be finished by the end of the year, only the top ones remain for sale: two sub-penthouses and two magnificent penthouses.

As well as fortunate purchasers gearing up to move in, the beauty of this stage of development means that any prospective buyers who prefer to see reality rather than renders, and views rather than videos, are able to see them in the flesh.

“We can now take people up to see examples of completed apartments and experience the views from each level,” says Martin Cooper from Experiences by Coopers, who is co-developer with Mike Sullivan of Countrywide Properties.

“We knew the views would be good, but they’re even better than we imagined.”

From the outset, the developers’ key vision focused on the level of luxury that was going into One Saint Stephens and now they’re able to showcase it.

“We’ve had industry experts and purchasers through for early looks, and they’re now understanding where luxury apartments are able to get to in this country,” he says.

“It’s always subjective, but we’d like to say that this is setting a new benchmark. It’s not just in the finishes, it’s the design, the amenity in the building, the number of carparks and the exterior building materials.”

These are further elevated by a premium location, sitting proudly atop the Parnell ridge alongside Holy Trinity Cathedral.

Of the 28 luxury residences, only the top ones remain for sale: two sub-penthouses and two penthouses.

World-class amenities available at One Saint Stephens include a lounge area and a private speak-easy bar.

“It’s the first time this location has been developed in 175 years, so finding another spot like this is going to be pretty hard in the future. To get somewhere higher you’d have to go to the museum, which you can’t do,” says Cooper.

This elevation also affords the apartments their extraordinary vistas.

“From the big penthouse, you see from the Sky Tower all the way around to behind Waiheke. It’s a phenomenal view both during the day and at night, when the city comes alive.”

It’s also a very well connected spot, without being immersed in the frenetic energy of the CBD.

“You’ve got Parnell’s great dining precinct right there, you can walk to the domain, the helicopter at Mechanics Bay is down the hill if you need it, and the motorway is right there to go north or south,” he says.

Prospective buyers can also forget any preconceived notions they may have about constraints of space within apartment living, as these have been deliberately designed to be home-sized.

This has also attracted interest from a slightly younger set of buyers than previous developments for Sullivan and Cooper.

“We’ve got a big mixture of ages – some people still have kids at high school. The apartments are of a size and layout that allows you to live with more than just two people.”

This includes plenty of space to accommodate art collections, as well as amazing walk-in basement storage rooms.

Martin Cooper, from Experiences by Coopers, says: “From the big penthouse, you see from the Sky Tower all the way around to behind Waiheke. It’s a phenomenal view both during the day and at night.”

The fully heated swimming pool has an automated cover and the wellness area next to it has shower and steam room, a sauna and a soak pool.

“You’ve not lost your garage here, as there’s room for bikes and skis and golf clubs. All that stuff you might store in your garage or under a house,” Cooper says.

The lifestyle promised at One Saint Stephens is also on another level, with world-class amenities that have been meticulously brought to life.

“Morgan Pools, who do a lot around Remuera, are doing the pool. It’s fully heated with an automated cover. The wellness area next to that has shower and steam room, a sauna and a soak pool. It’s somewhere you could go for an hour and really relax and pamper yourself,” says Cooper.

Avid entertainers will love the chef’s kitchen and private dining space, which Cooper says are perfect for hosting a dinner party for 10 people.

“Either you can cater or you can bring in a chef in. We’ve worked with Des Harris, who used to be the head chef at Clooney, to design the space the way he would do private dining. We’ll be supplying all the cutlery, glassware and the plates – you just need to bring the people and the food.”

It also has a lounge area attached to it, and a private speak-easy bar.

“We’ve got people saying they’ll use it for birthday parties and someone else has said he’ll book it for a few hours and host his monthly board meetings in there. We’ve ordered all the furniture – that’s coming from either Dawson & Co or Simon James, plus the custom dining table from Woodwrights.”

With a sharp uptake in enquiries recently, as well as the limited edition nature of the special development, the time is nigh for final buyers, says Cooper.

“It’s a now or never thing really. Anything else coming through is at least two or three years away, if not longer. We encourage people to get in touch and come and have a look at the inside, it’s pretty special.” Visit onesaintstephens.co.nz.

- Sponsored by The One Saint Stephens Team