SKY-HIGH LUXURY FOR $16M
You’d expect the view from the top of New Zealand’s tallest apartment tower to be breathtaking. If you’re paying $16 million for a penthouse in central Auckland, uninterrupted vistas of the Waitemata¯ , Rangitoto and the Sky Tower are a given.
But what you might be surprised by is just how stunning the interiors are.
The top-floor apartment at The Pacifica has finally been fitted out, and OneRoof got an exclusive tour.
New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty agent Pene Milne, who is no stranger to luxury properties, said even she was blown away by the quality of the fourbedroom, 355sqm apartment.
“I am just loving this and truly believe it is our most prestigious luxurious apartment,” Milne told OneRoof during the walkthrough of the 54th-floor property.
Along for the ride was architect Hamish Davies, director of Plus Architecture, who was giving the fittings one final check before opening up the apartment to prospective buyers.
Milne was tight-lipped about the cost of the fit out (previously the apartment was on the market as a soft shell) but she said it matched similar apartments overseas.
“We’re unabashedly asking $16m. In New Zealand, I haven’t seen anything with this quality of finish before,” she said.
She said the aim was to create “the most exclusive apartment that we can have”.
“It’s the most unbelievable finish. It had to be the right size in the luxury end, and big enough for people coming out of 700sqm houses,” she told OneRoof.
OneRoof was struck by the apartment’s features. Among the highlights were: the kitchen, where you can prepare meals looking down on Rangitoto (there’s also a butler’s pantry that closes off the mess and a cocktail bar for entertaining); the sculptural cube of travertine stone that makes up the fireplace; and immaculate stone thresholds to rooms floored in American oak.
But it’s the ensuite in the second master bedroom that takes the cake.
A person sitting on the loo gets to look down on the Metropolis, once Auckland’s last word on skyscraper luxury, and the Domain, Auckland museum and the Sky Tower.
In the same bathroom is a Japanesestyle soaking tub, complete with cedar trims and a traditional handheld shower, while the vanity is shaped from European marble, right down to the drawers.
If bigger views are more important, the circular bathtub in the first master suite, has views across the harbour, the bridge and North Shore, with a double sink and double shower sheathed in a striking black and white Arabescato marble.
The two principal bedroom suites are at either ends of the apartment because, as Milne said, in this market buyers like to have two equally important rooms to be able to switch around.
One has walls lined with wardrobes (storage is discreetly inserted everywhere in the penthouse, with subtle integrated handles), the other a glass-walled walk-in wardrobe all the easier to admire the designer handbag stash.
There are two further bedrooms with ensuites, a study (that is also fully wired if owners prefer a media room), an elegant powder room and a plus-sized laundry that includes the latest must-have appliance, a fabric care steam cupboard.
Sliding walls of fluted timber with custom steel handles can open and close spaces off, and a feature stone of Peperino Grigio is repeated in floors and trims.
Each bathroom has its own distinct marble or stone.
“The detailing is second to none,” Milne pointed out.
Davies said that when the company won the design competition for The Pacifica tower, their brief was simply to “create an icon”.
“And that’s how it transpired,” he said. The building at street level features stylish Italian restaurant Bossi, a green-walled reception area and a Melbourne-style laneway complete with cafe and deli.
Buyers are also getting luxury services, including a 24-hour reception and concierge and valet parking.
An open-air swimming pool on the seventh floor sits next to the residents’ barbecue and party area, and there’s a gym, spa and barre room for more serious workouts.
In the middle of the tower is a movie room, board room and shared library/living area which Milne said has already become like a village social hub.
She said a property this special won’t come up again for a long time in Auckland.
“The Pacifica’s inception was a decade ago, I think that’s how long it takes. There is nothing else on the radar, so that’s what makes it so special.”