Uptown is one of the more densely populated areas in Auckland. Of a number of apartment buildings bordering Basque Park, one notable quality block, Sol, was built in 2017 and is tucked down the bottom of Fleet Street. We visit schoolteacher Sue Lyons, a new apartment dweller and recent resident of Uptown.

Sue says she was never looking for an apartment to buy, all she knew was the time had come to downsize from a five-bedroom villa in Arch Hill. Her son was off to university, so it was just her rattling around in an old, two-storey house. She came across the apartment because a friend suggested she should have a look. 

“I had no intention of buying an apartment,” she says, “but when I walked in the first thing I noticed was the windows, there was plenty of light.”

The glass facade is a striking differentiator and speaks to the quality of the building. The pattern acts as an extra layer of privacy glass, allowing the floor-to-ceiling windows to flood the corner apartment with natural light while maintaining privacy. The louvre windows provide plenty of ventilation to keep the north-facing apartment cool. 

The other thing that attracted Sue was the long view from the sizeable deck. Standing on the deck, she gestures over to the distinctive nikau grove that characterises Basque Park. “You’ve got all that. It was the view that sold me,” she says. 

Sue did her due diligence and checked there wasn’t noise transference from other apartments before she purchased. She remembered she’d previously been to a party in the complex and called her friend to find out what the apartment block was like. She was given the thumbs up.

It turns out that a convivial bunch of cool people live in the building, mostly owner-occupiers who bought off the plans. “Twice a year we have a gathering at the ground-floor apartment that has a lawn and massive patio area. I went to my first one before Christmas and invariably met people that I was connected to in some way.” 

Sue’s apartment is dotted with either replica or real mid-century furniture. The teal couch, framed by large indoor plants, is a stand-out and the glass-top dining table is a great option for creating space. She says it was quite a job downsizing a five-bedroom house full of large furniture and one thing she struggled with in the apartment was that fewer walls meant there was less room for her artwork. 

But after 10 years in a big property, where she loved the neighbourhood, Sue says she realised how much of her energy was spent propping up the house and garden. “I loved the garden, but if I didn’t do anything for a couple of months it could get away on you.”

Sue says she has more free time to do other things. “I’ve had to get used to the fact there is nothing for me to repair or do, so instead I’ve been shutting the door on the apartment and riding my electric bike to Waiheke. Over summer I went to Splore and Shipwrecked festivals, and the South Island.” 

Despite her stylish, energy-efficient apartment with a stunning view, all-day sun and no maintenance, Sue has still had flashes of doubt. “I have had moments of thinking, did I do the right thing, did I jump too soon?” But in almost the same breath, she admits to being an apartment convert. The clincher: a spacious en suite bathroom. “That’s something I never had in that rumpty old villa,” she says with a satisfied grin.