NEW NEIGHBOURHOODS
The very fibre that makes Hobsonville has inspired the dual development, writes Donna Fleming
There’s much more to buying an apartment in the Kerepeti development at Hobsonville Point than simply putting a roof over your head. Purchasers get not only a smart and stylish brand-new home, they’re also buying into a community of like-minded people who get to enjoy the benefits of living in a master-planned neighbourhood.
“It’s very important to us to be able to create a community that people really like living in, as well as comfortable homes, and that is something we have thought very carefully about,” says Kirsten Andrews, development manager at Nga¯i Tahu Property, who is developing Kerepeti in partnership with NZ Super Fund and New Ground Capital.
Kerepeti, covers two sites, called Uku and Kerewhenua. The developers realised they would attract a range of people, from first-time buyers and families through to empty nesters, and as a result have come up with a mix of living options to cater to everyone, including terrace housing and apartments.
The latest release is a block of apartments at Uku. There are 56 apartments in the six-storey building, which has basement parking. The apartments come with either two or three bedrooms, and the ones on the upper levels have great views across the neighbourhood to the harbour.
The apartments, designed by Context Architects, come in a variety of layouts to suit most lifestyles. They all have balconies — or patios for ground-floor apartments — with a choice of north-, east- and west-facing outlooks. Screening and the placement of windows have been carefully planned so that there’s privacy, but residents won’t feel disconnected from their neighbours.
To encourage a sense of community among everyone living at Uku, sales manager Geoff Polglase has started a Facebook group so they can share information and organise events. There’s always a lot going on at Hobsonville Point, says Kirsten, like the farmer’s market at weekends. Kerepeti hosted a get-together for Halloween, with barbecues, Mr Whippy icecreams and face painting for children, and the opening of Te Ara Manawa — the Hobsonville/ Onekiritea Coastal Walkway — next weekend will include live music and food trucks.
“It is a very cool place to live,” Kirsten says. “It feels European because of the density of the housing, but there are a lot of green spaces and wellmaintained landscaping. And the fact you can get the ferry into the city also appeals to a lot of people.”
As for the apartments themselves, a lot of thought went into making them practical, warm and secure. Each has an HRV system and lots of natural light.
The brick of the building pays tribute to the history of Hobsonville Point. The rich clay soil in the area was used by pioneers in the previous century for the ceramics industry, including the original Crown pottery.
“It is a material that is associated with having something that lasts, which is also what the homes at Kerepeti are,” says Andrew Burton, from Context Architects.
Brick also fits in with Kerepeti’s sustainability goals.
Another feature is the fact that residents with electric cars can opt to be connected to an electricity distribution system in the parking garage that adds the cost of charging the car to the power bill for their apartment.
Construction of the Uku apartments is well under way, and they are due to be ready for the new owners to move in around March.