ZEST Apt. in AKL

[SuperDan]

Hi,
I was wondering if anybody has some feedback or experience with Zest Apt. in Auckland. To me it looks like, that the apt. are reasonable priced, and the complex seems to be in a good location. However, at the same time I have read that the gas and water prices are the highest in AKL due to an exclusive provider of those facilities.
Does anybody know another good apartment complex in CBD AKL that has 1 bedroom apt. for around 300pw (max.)?

[urban78]

Hiya SuperDan,

My partner and I viewed a 2 bedroom place at Zest a couple of years ago.

It's really well located in the CBD but we found the apartment too cramped, even just for the 2 of us, so we decided to look elsewhere. We also noticed that it takes quite a while to wait for the elevator to stop on your floor (probably because of the size of the building and the amount of people living in it)

With regards to power or gas, I'd definitely ask for a "proper" bill from the supplying company, and not some piece of paper with a handwritten amount for that month, that the property management company may give you . This happened to us in our last apartment, and we managed to easily organise for the electricity company to send us a bill directly every month and not to the property management company, as we weren't happy paying something without seeing an actual bill. If you're renting in the CBD, water rates are usually included in the rent.

Although there are many apartment complexes in the CBD, you may need to view a few in person as photos don't represent the actual size of rooms (we noticed this from the Zest apartments)

Best of luck with your search!

Jen

[SuperDan]

Hi,
since I have figured out that I need to increase my budget in order to get a decent 1 BR in CBD AKL I was able to narrow down my choice to the 3 buildings above. All of the apt. are 330-350 pw incl. water. I guess Oaks residence might be the nicest one due to the location. Hobson street is not so nice to be honest and the supermarkets are more for the Asian expats. The Docks would be nice due to the supermarket across.
Is anybody living in one of those buildings, any experiences, any price comparisons?
Problem with Quest Nelson is a construction site close by/ opposite, which will go on for some more months.

[straff]

Have a look at altitude apartments, they're a lot bigger then zest and I was paying $310 for a fully furnished 2 bed flat, or they are around 280 for unfurnished. They're not massive apartments but they are twice the size of zest. I was paying $60 a month for power (built in washer and separate dryer) $80 a month is for unlimited 512K internet and $30 for phone. They are on Kingston Street, try doing a search for kingston street on trademe and you'll find them. Hope it helps !!

[SuperDan]

Went for a 335pw 1 BR apartment in Oaks. Hopefully an OK deal

[kawibear]

heya superdan... how's the oaks treating you? any input on how it's working out for you?

i too am looking at the zest, but it does seem that they are extremely small. one question i have... if anyone has any experience with flats in the CBD... is that of all the photos i've seen online, they all tend to have the same generic kitchen layout... ie: small sink & dish drying area, 2 element cook top, oven and what appears to be no refrigerator... or a very small one. is this typical? very few places i've seen online show an actual apartment sized fridge.

that might be the deciding factor of any of these buildings... is one with a decent sized fridge.

[urban78]

i too am looking at the zest, but it does seem that they are extremely small. one question i have... if anyone has any experience with flats in the CBD... is that of all the photos i've seen online, they all tend to have the same generic kitchen layout... ie: small sink & dish drying area, 2 element cook top, oven and what appears to be no refrigerator... or a very small one. is this typical? very few places i've seen online show an actual apartment sized fridge.

that might be the deciding factor of any of these buildings... is one with a decent sized fridge.

Hi Kawibear,

The main problem with photos (and agency ones in particular), is that they don't tend to represent the true size of apartments, and certain areas inside them, that's why it's always a good idea to visit the places for yourself, just to gauge what their actual size is. It may be a bit time consuming, but worth it in the end, especially if you're looking for something in particular (4 element stove, decent sized fridge/freezer, etc) It might be a good idea to make a list of must haves for the place you’re looking for from the start, to save time, which may help you decide a bit faster.

Although a lot of city apartments do have the type of configuration you describe, not all do. We have a 4 element stove-top with a good oven, as well as a good sized fridge/freezer. A decent sized fridge/freezer and a 4 element stove was a must for us, so that automatically cut out quite a few CBD apartment complexes. So it’s definitely a good idea to narrow down the ones you want to visit from the online sites like Trade Me, and decide from there

Depending on how flexible you are with the places you want to look at and ultimately settle in, I certainly would look into city fringe areas like Freeman's Bay, which is a nice place, and very accessible to the CBD as well. You’d then get a few more options like parking included (if you need a car), for example.

Good luck,

Jen

[kawibear]

heya jen,

thanks for your input! i am definitely taking your advice and making a list of "must-haves"... what a brilliant idea! i know it's something i have to just wait and see in person, but at least i now have a better idea of what's out there. being a hawaiian, i think the most important thing to me is food LOL so a decent size fridge is crucial.

i really appreciate your reply!